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LOVE CANAL: Former Residents Return to Site with a Message

August 6, 2008 /

“If it weren’t for the barren lots where homes once stood, it might have felt like old times at Love Canal. Lois Gibbs and members of her organization, the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, addressed a throng of reporters Friday morning near the corner of 100th Street and Colvin Boulevard. Several former residents of the neighborhood were there also.

The occasion was the 30th anniversary of the first state of emergency declaration in the neighborhood. On Aug. 2, 1978, state Health Commissioner Robert Whalen ordered the closure of the 99th Street School and recommended the evacuation of pregnant women and young children. Eventually, more than 950 families were relocated and 350 homes and the school were demolished as the situation generated local outcry and national headlines. It prompted a federal state of emergency declaration from President Jimmy Carter on Aug. 7, 1978, and was the inspiration for both the state and federal Superfund programs.

A 70-acre fenced cap over the original 16-acre landfill now covers the site of the former canal, where Hooker Chemical Company dumped nearly 22,000 tons of toxic waste from 1942 to 1953. Years of testing, cleanup and studies ensued in the wake of the initial reports. The widespread publicity made former resident Gibbs, the most outspoken of the neighborhood residents and former president of the Love Canal Homeowners Association, a household name. And it made Love Canal infamous. But 30 years later, the people who did so much when Love Canal became an issue aren’t sitting back and reminiscing. The problems don’t only exist in the past, they say.”

(via Niagara Gazette)

The Black Hole in the Cost of Healthcare-pt 2: Computerized Healthcare

August 3, 2008 /

Imagine receiving a letter in your mailbox asking you to participate in a study for cancer research, and that your doctor didn’t mention anything about cancer during your last physical. This is what happened to 400 women in Maryland. According to the Baltimore Sun, ‘A state contractor tampered with Maryland’s cancer registry, a database used by researchers to track the disease’s impact, counting hundreds of patients as having cancer when they did not, according to a legislative audit released yesterday. The company, Macro International Inc., found in an internal investigation that data were deliberately altered between August 2004 and December of that year. The company fired the employee responsible for the cancer registry. State officials said that Macro employees apparently overreported the incidence of cancer to ensure that the database met standards set by a national certification association, which closely monitors registries to ensure that states have a complete count of cases.’ These letters were sent in 2005, and they’re just addressing it now.

If this can happen with a cancer registry’s database, imagine what could happen with someone’s personal health records. The argument for computerized records is simple. It will eliminate many errors that occur with paperwork, and will help emergency workers to assist a patient if the patient is unable to communicate. While this seems like a great idea in general, the issues of privacy, confidentiality, and abuses of the system lie in the back of many people’s minds. And for good reasons.

It’s not only our health records that are vulnerable. The WSJ Health Blog reports ‘In yet another example of the health industry mishandling private patient records, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia sent some 202,000 explanation of benefits letters to the wrong addresses last week, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The letters, which were mistakenly directed to the addresses of other policyholders, included names and insurance identification numbers of patients as well as the names of the doctors and other medical providers they were using.[..] A small proportion of the letters also had Social Security numbers, a spokeswoman for the company told the paper. Vulnerability to identity theft is one concern. But EOB letters are especially sensitive from a privacy standpoint because they contain some treatment information. And this is one of a steady stream of mistakes by the health-care industry when it comes to protecting electronic data. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia told the AJC that a computer system change was to blame, and it’s taken steps to avoid the problem in the future.’

I foresee many ‘computer system changes’ in the future. Is this what we have to look forward to? The steps they’re taking to ‘avoid the problem in the future’ currently may be completely different whatever steps are needed in the future. Will everyone be up to speed?

According to USA Today advocates for electronic prescribing ‘say it will have many benefits including decreasing medical errors, which harm least 1.5 million people every year, according to the Institute of Medicine. Doctors’ scrawl will be replaced with typed information, and potentially dangerous interactions with patients’ existing medications will be flagged.’ Yet privacy advocates are worried. ‘Transforming prescriptions from scrawl into a standardized electronic format can make them even easier for pharmacies to sell and trade, violating patient privacy, says Tim Sparapani, senior legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. ‘Any time you put something in a digital format and standardize it, it becomes much more profitable and easy to move those records.” The WSJ Health Blog also quotes the Coalition for Patient Privacy which said ‘While e-prescribing is attractive to many, Americans do not want their private prescription information data mined and used without their permission. Many Americans would be quite alarmed to discover their employer and others know they take an anti-anxiety medication or that they are being treated for an STD.’

I’m all for simplifying the paperwork process involved in healthcare. But I, like many others, am also worried about personal information being altered or available to those I don’t want accessing it. Will there be enough people enforcing our HIPAA rights? Will there be enough people to oversee these systems, to address immediate problems and to correct any glitches? Or will this be a windfall for Big Pharma and those who work in the field of law?

(Resources: Baltimore Sun-‘Md Cancer Statistics Altered’, WSJ Health Blog- ‘Insurer Sends Patient Info To The Wrong People’ and ‘Privacy Advocates Sound Alarm about Electronic Prescribing’, USA Today- ‘Writing is on The Wall for Doctors’ E-prescriptions’, Journal of Medical Internet Research-‘The Emergence of National Health Record Architectures in the United States and Australia: Models, Costs, and Questions’, and National Academy Press-” For the Record: Protecting Electronic Health Information” )

(See also: The Black Hole in The Cost of Healthcare: Big Pharma and Transparency)

The Handmaid’s Tale Could Become Fact Instead of Fiction

August 1, 2008 /

“This morning, I heard an astonishing interview on WNYC that discussed a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) draft document that was just leaked. This document proposes to redefine nearly all forms of birth control, especially birth control pills, as a form of abortion and allows any federal grant recipient to obstruct a woman’s access to contraception [PDF]. Considering that roughly half of all American women use birth control pills, I think this is a shocking proposal that, if enacted, will change modern American society as we know it.

Currently, the federal government accepts the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ definition of pregnancy as beginning at implantation. However, the HHS proposes to reject that definition — provided by medical experts — and to change the federal definition of pregancy to conform with public polling data, as stated in the “Definitions” section of the proposal;

Abortion: An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy. There are two commonly held views on the question of when a pregnancy begins. Some consider a pregnancy to begin at conception (that is, the fertilization of the egg by the sperm), while others consider it to begin with implantation (when the embryo implants in the lining of the uterus). A 2001 Zogby International American Values poll revealed that 49% of Americans believe that human life begins at conception. Presumably many who hold this belief think that any action that destroys human life after conception is the termination of a pregnancy, and so would be included in their definition of the term “abortion.” Those who believe pregnancy begins at implantation believe the term “abortion” only includes the destruction of a human being after it has implanted in the lining of the uterus.

And then they propose;

[T]he Department proposes to define abortion as “any of the various procedures – including the prescription and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action – that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation.”

(via Living The Scientific Life)

The Vast and Dangerous Transfer of American Spying to Mercenary Companies

August 1, 2008 /

“Chalmers Johnson has produced a superb new article on what privatization has meant to the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Focusing on Tim Shorrock’s new book, Spies for Hire, Johnson traces the history of “the wholesale transfer of military and intelligence functions to private, often anonymous operatives” from Ronald Reagan’s day to the present, reminding us of just how crucial the Clinton administration was to this development. He also lays out just what can happen when the intelligence budget soars and startling amounts of it are placed in private, for-profit hands. Not only, he claims, has the privatization of intelligence made it easier for enemies to penetrate American intelligence and greased the slippery slope to the loss of professionalism within the community of intelligence analysts, but, perhaps most serious of all, it has ensured the loss of the most valuable asset any intelligence organization possesses — its institutional memory.

Johnson concludes: “The current situation represents the worst of all possible worlds. Successive administrations and Congresses have made no effort to alter the CIA’s role as the president’s private army, even as we have increased its incompetence by turning over many of its functions to the private sector. We have thereby heightened the risks of war by accident, or by presidential whim, as well as of surprise attack because our government is no longer capable of accurately assessing what is going on in the world and because its intelligence agencies are so open to pressure, penetration, and manipulation of every kind.”

(via Alternet)

Transcriptase

August 1, 2008 /

“Transcriptase is a new website that has launched, featuring fiction by some very familiar authors. You may remember the Helix debacle from a while back, authors who asked for their stories to be taken down, and authors who felt they didn’t feel right taking them down but didn’t appreciate what the editor of Helix had done, have all banded together to create Transcriptase (n: the enzyme that copies DNA into RNA).

The site features the work of:

* Elizabeth Barrette
* Beth Bernobich
* Maya Bohnhoff
* Eugie Foster
* Sara Genge
* Samantha Henderson
* Janis Ian
* N.K. Jemisin
* Vylar Kaftan
* Ann Leckie
* Yoon Ha Lee
* Margaret Ronald
* Jennifer Pelland
* Vaughan Stanger
* Rachel Swirsky

From their introduction:

In July 2008, Helix editor William Sanders stirred up controversy in the community with remarks that many found offensive. The blogosphere exploded with discussion. You can find a summary of the events here. As the controversy continued, several Helix writers asked to remove their work from the magazine and were met with unprofessional treatment. This upset all of us. We agreed that we would not stand by in silence.

Transcriptase hosts reprints of our stories and poems originally published at Helix. During the controversy, some of us removed our work from Helix; others left it up. There are valid reasons to make either choice, and we hope you’ll respect that we had difficult decisions to make. We offer our stories and poems at Transcriptase so that you can enjoy our work away from Helix, if you choose.”

(Transcriptase site via Tobias Buckell’s Blog)

Sex Brings Rain to Farmers

August 1, 2008 /

“It’s been wet lately, hasn’t it? Really wet. So wet, in fact, that two artists got bogged on the way to their opening at Kellerberrin last Saturday, arriving only after being dug out by a few of the locals. Still that’s what you get for cloud busting and playing around with orgone energy. For the past month in Kellerberrin, David Haines and Joyce Hinterding have been chasing atmospheric phenomena in the way someone else might fish for trout. Through hope, coaxing, and a fair degree of positive thinking, Haines and Hinterding have been siphoning sexual energy into the Wheatbelt. Yes, this is cultish, but don’t be alarmed, it’s all in the name of creating rain.

In the 1940s and 50s in the American State of Maine, Wilhelm Reich was investigating the existence in the atmosphere of what he called ‘orgone’ energy. Reich at one stage was part of Freud’s inner circle in Vienna and many of his psychoanalytical methods are still used today. But in the course of time and on a different continent Reich turned his attention to more esoteric issues and in the process, many would argue, instigated the greatest sexual revolution in human history. His inquiry into universal sexual energy and its application through something called the orgone accumulator also saw him hounded by the FBI. In the end Reich’s inventions were confiscated, his life’s writings burnt and he died in jail. Something tells me there was more to this man than meets the eye.

As with all good contemporary art, Haines and Hinterding at the International Art Space Kellerberrin Australia (IASKA) is thick with research and high on the sub-culture factor. These two are by no means the only artists in the world interested in Reich’s theories but their application of his ideas is timely and offers more than a tongue-in-cheek look at the esoteric history of art.”

(via The West Australian)

(Cosmic Orgone Engineering Site)

Dallas Psychiatrist’s Paranormal Abilities to Be Tested by Noted Debunker James Randi

July 31, 2008 /

“During a summer of superhero blockbusters, Dallas psychiatrist Colin A. Ross, M.D. ( www.rossinst.com), is perfecting a superpower of his own. Dr. Ross’ application to the $1 Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge has been received by the James Randi Educational Foundation ( www.randi.org). Dr. Ross can make a tone sound out of a speaker using nothing but an energy beam he sends out through his eyes.

The $1 million prize serves as a challenge to anyone who can show, under proper observing conditions, evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event. The James Randi Educational Foundation states in its Challenge rules that he is only interested in a demonstration of the claim. He does not want theories about how the paranormal claim works. Therefore, Dr. Ross is not required to explain how his demonstration of the human eyebeam works — only that it does work.”

(via MarketWatch. h/t: Professor Hex)

Do You Suffer From ‘Preparing to Live Syndrome’?

July 31, 2008 /

“I once knew a partner at a large firm who told me this: “I can stand what I’m doing right now, because I’m going to retire at 55.” “And then what?” I asked. “I’m going to live my own life for a change.” Her eyes glistened for a moment on her otherwise exhausted face. “And how many years away is that?” “Eighteen,” she said, her voice sinking. “And when you are living your own life, what will you do?” She looked at me with a mixture of bewilderment and sadness before she finally said in a low voice, “I don’t really know, but I’m sure it will come to me.” “When you were a freshman in college, what did you want to grow up to be?” I asked. Immediately, she said, “I was an English major. I wanted to be a fiction writer.” “Do you write fiction now?” I already knew the answer that would come. “I don’t have time,” she said.

I once knew an executive who checked his portfolios and balances daily, constantly calculating and re-calculating the value of his house, the reserves he would need in the coming years to sustain his lifestyle, how much longer he had to “earn an income,” and on and on. I asked him what he wanted to talk about with me. He said, “I hate my life.” “Why?” I asked. “I am so busy worrying about retirement — I can’t relax.” “Is there anything about your life the way it is right now that you like — that feels rewarding? What are your passions?” He stared at me for a long moment before saying, “No … nothing comes to mind.”

I am sure the reader knows individuals who are caught in this bind, or perhaps the reader knows she is in this bind. It is a common condition, causing great amounts of suffering, depression, anxiety and medication. I call it Preparing to Live Syndrome (PtLS).”

(via Lawjobs.com. h/t: WSJ Law Blog)

Alan Moore Still Knows the Score!

July 28, 2008 /

“This week’s Watchmen festival is finally wrapping up for me. I’m done. How much Watchmen can one guy take? Upon arriving, I thought this was a Comic Book Festival, but I was sadly mistaken. This was an awesome Watchmen commercial that I actually got to walk around in. How exciting is that? As soon as I got off the train, I saw every person on the street was carrying a big Watchmen bag. They had Watchmen posters, and Watchmen toys and photos with their favorite Watchmen characters. Not everyone who wanted to see the Watchmen panel were able to get it, but the creators of the movie and the entire cast were there. And they talked about the movie!!!!

I found all the money the studio spent promoting Watchmen at Comic Con to be ridiculous. These are nerds. It is like trying to sell guns to the NRA. You know how the studio could market The Watchmen to nerds? Go to a remote town in Alaska and find a nerd. Then just walk up to him and whisper, ‘There’s going to be a Watchmen movie.’ At that point, every nerd in the world will know. They have some sort of communication device.”- Fear The Reaper’s feedback on Comic Con via Suicide Girls

Now we know one of the reasons why Moore wanted nothing to do with the movie. Here’s an excellent interview with him from Entertainment Weekly:

“About two years ago, Warner Bros. announced that 300 director Zack Snyder would be adapting that gold standard of comics, Watchmen, into a feature film. The response was nothing short of orgiastic – from just about everyone except Watchmen‘s own scribe, Alan Moore, who remains ambivalent about all the hoopla. The 54-year-old writer and co-creator of such seminal and erudite works as From Hell and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (both of which were adapted into eagerly anticipated movies that failed to match the quality of Moore’s source material) has a tangled history with the entertainment business. Even in a time when comics creators are more influential than ever (heck, The Spirit producers even gave comics great Frank Miller the helm), Moore simply wants to be left alone.”

(via Entertainment Weekly)

All air passengers to give their fingerprints … but is the reason security or simply to raise profits for the duty-free shops?

July 28, 2008 /

“Millions of passengers flying from British airports will be fingerprinted from next year under the latest controversial Government anti-terror plans. The measures, which will apply to both domestic and international passengers, are being introduced despite opposition from the Information Commissioner, Britain’s privacy watchdog.

The Commissioner forced Heathrow to abandon a similar plan earlier this year after warning that it was potentially illegal under data protection laws. As a result, ?common departure lounges’, where both domestic and international passengers can mix freely, are being introduced at all major UK airports. This poses an obvious security risk in that an incoming international passenger – possibly a terrorist or a criminal – could switch tickets with an accomplice booked on a domestic flight. The international passenger would then be able to fly elsewhere in Britain and enter the country without being checked by immigration authorities.

Now, the Home Office is putting the finishing touches to new rules requiring compulsory fingerprinting for all passengers. The amendments to national aviation security rules will require fingerprints to be scanned when passengers pass through security into the airside terminal. Passengers will be fingerprint-scanned again at their flight departure gate. It is likely that the scheme will later be expanded to cover passengers at major seaports and the Channel Tunnel rail links.

The measures will enable police and the Security Services to check fingerprints against international watch lists and Interpol databases, searching for suspects travelling on false identities. Critics say the main reason for the scheme is that airport operators want to maximise profits by ensuring all passengers are able to spend money in ?duty-free’ shops.”

(via The Daily Mail)

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