News Archive (6192)
The world traveling Atlanta
lawyer at the center of the tuberculosis controversy, with a dangerous strain
of TB, was allowed back into the U.S. by a border inspector who disregarded a computer warning to
stop him and don protective gear, officials said Thursday. The inspector has
been removed from border duty. The unidentified inspector explained that
he was no doctor but that the infected man seemed perfectly healthy and that he
thought the warning was merely "discretionary," officials briefed on
the case told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because
the matter is still under investigation.
According to Reuters the American herb craze has
many Americans using the herbal supplements but few actually following the
directions on the bottles. Roughly
half of adults who use herbal supplements do not use them in accordance with
"evidence-based" indications, U.S. researchers report. The
findings, which appear in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings for May, stem from more
than 30,000 adults who were surveyed regarding their use of herbs.The six herbs studied and
their evidence-based indications were: echinacea for upper respiratory tract
infection, garlic for high cholesterol, ginseng for mental
performance/diabetes, St. John's wort for depression, soy for high
cholesterol/hot flashes, and kava-kava for anxiety.
A proposal to ban smoking in cars with children inside,
to be heard Wednesday in the state Senate's health committee, is the third bill
in three months that has taken California's Legislature into arenas some say
are better left to parents. The first would have outlawed spanking, and
debate continues over whether to mandate vaccinating seventh-grade girls
against a sexually transmitted disease that causes cervical cancer. California is one of at
least 16 states considering bans on smoking in cars with children present. Critics call it the ultimate in "nanny government." Even if
smoking around children is a bad idea, it isn't the government's job to stop
people from doing it, Walter Williams, a conservative commentator who has
written about the nanny state told the SF Chronicle. "If we justify things
on the basis of what's good for people, there's no end in sight," said
Williams, an economics professor at George
Mason University
in Fairfax, Va.
Schwarzenegger Underestimated the Cost of His Healthe Care Plan?
Written byAccording to a report released by the California State Legislative Analyst’s Office yesterday Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may have underestimated the cost of his health care plan by between $150 million to more than $3 billion. The governor has estimated his plan will cost 12 billion dollars a year to bring down insurance costs and extend coverage to the 6.5 million Californians the LAO’s report states that the actual costs may be higher. The Legislative Analyst's Office gave the nonpartisan report to the Senate Health Committee during the first hearing on the proposal Thursday. Though Schwarzenegger released the plan in January,
Thursday marked the first time lawmakers have been able to ask questions about it in an official setting. The proposal would require individuals to buy coverage, employers to help pay for it, and insurers to sell it to anyone who wants it. Doctors and hospitals would also be asked to chip in to help fund the expansion, which would also rely on a significant amount of new federal funding. According to the Sacbee, Kim Belshe, California secretary of health and human services, testified that the governor's plan would change the health care marketplace, making insurance more affordable for working families who would be required to purchase it because more people would be participating in the system. But several members of the Health Committee said the plan relied heavily on financial models without guaranteeing that people could afford the insurance they would have to buy."I don't see anything in the proposal that helps us feel confident that affordability will be achieved," said Sen. Sheila Kuehl, a Democrat from Santa Monica who chairs the committee.
Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger has created a challenge that has California students jumping for joy. As part of his effort to boost students'
physical fitness, the
governor on Wednesday announced a fitness challenge. He wants to get 20,000
kindergarten through 12th-grade students active for 30 to 60 minutes a day at
least three times a week. As an incentive, the school with the highest percentage of participating
students at the end of the four-week challenge will win a new fitness center.
The next 11 will win $1,000 to buy fitness equipment.
According to the American
Cancer Society, fewer
people died of cancer in 2004 than in 2003, marking the second consecutive year
that cancer deaths have declined in the United States, a new American
Cancer Society report shows. According
to Cancer Statistics 2007, there were 3,014 fewer cancer deaths in 2004
compared to the previous year. The report is published in the latest
issue of the ACS journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. That number is
much higher than the drop of 369 deaths reported between 2003 and 2002. And
that suggests the trend is more than just a statistical blip, experts say. "This second consecutive drop
in the number of actual cancer deaths, much steeper than the first, shows last
year's historic drop was no fluke," says John R. Seffrin, PhD,
chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society. "The hard work towards preventing cancer,
catching it early, and making treatment more effective is paying dramatic,
lifesaving dividends." The number of breast cancer cases in the US has
leveled off in recent years, according to Facts & Figures. In 2007, 178,480
new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected.
Over the past decade, the leisure activity most
closely associated with corporate success in America has been in a kind of
recession. The total
number of people in the US
who play golf has declined or remained flat each year since 2000, dropping to
about 26 million from 30 million, according to the National Golf
Foundation. Amador
County is home to at
least six golf courses that have felt the impact. On Highway 49 alone, there
are at least 29 golf courses between Sonora
and Auburn. With a modest county wide
population of 38,000, local courses are dependent on commuter golfers from the Sacramento area.
According
to Dominic Atlan, Director of Golf at Castle Oaks Golf Course in Ione, it’s no
secret that golf has been on the decline. He has followed a drop in rounds at
Castle Oaks by a yearly average of 8000. “It seems more people are giving up the game than taking up
the game,” says Atlan. Other local courses, like Mace Meadows in
Pioneer, have made staffing cuts. Once popular and promising courses like the Winchester and Dark Horse
in Ione are now in foreclosure. The disappearance of golfers over the past several years is part of a
broader decline in outdoor activities, according to a number of academic and
recreational industry studies. Escalating gas prices in a worsening economy are
also being blamed. But golf, a sport of long-term investors who buy the
expensive equipment and build the courses — has always seemed to exist in a
world above the fray of shifting demographics. Maybe not anymore.
Local efforts are underway to send two talented
young wrestlers to the
National Wrestling Tournaments. Wrestling Coach Rodney Plamondon is going
public in his fundraising efforts to send Marissa Foreman and Hannah
Collins, both members of the Argonaut Wrestling Squad, though the Nationals in
March. Funds raised are expected to cover air fare, a rental car, motel rooms,
food, and registration fees for the tournament.
The girls need to fly in a day
or two before the events for weigh-in. Because of budget restrictions, the girls’
regular coaches and assistants will be unable to attend. Foreman has been a four year Captain
of her squad, has previously scored 12 and 6 in the Nationals, and is
ranked as one of the top 6 girls in the state. Collins is ranked second place in the girls All-State
division and was awarded the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the
Heavyweight Division. According to Plamandon, the girls will return with a
“priceless experience to share with the high schools and wrestling clubs in the county.” If you’d like
to make a donation, please call Jeff Collins at 763-5533 or 256-5550.
Tobacco
Reduction of Amador County is offering a chance to help smokers fulfill a New
Years Resolution. Tobacco
Reduction and the American Lung Association are giving an 8-session “Freedom
from Smoking” course beginning January 29th. This free
program is one of many steps the organization is taking to reduce tobacco use
in AmadorCounty. Other objectives include
reducing access to tobacco products for minors, countering pro-tobacco
influences and reducing exposure to second-hand smoke. In order to achieve
these goals, the organization will be educating tobacco retailers and
collaborating with Amador
County schools, among
other activities. One of the programs notable accomplishments is the adoption
of an ordinance prohibiting smoking near the doors and ventilation systems of
county buildings.
According to a study specific to Amador County, there were 68 smoking-related deaths and 74 potential years of life lost in 1999 alone. The County’s direct smoking costs that year was over 13 million, and the resulting loss of productivity cost the county an additional 8 million plus. Since this study, the local population has grown rapidly and there are still a significant number of smokers. For more information on the stop-smoking program, call 223-6638, or visit Tobacco Reduction of Amador County’s webpage at www.co.amador.ca.us.
