When I received an official-looking e-mail last week announcing that Sarah Palin would be the keynote speaker at the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America's convention in Las Vegas in April, I assumed it was a spoof—a lame attempt at humor by some underemployed, bien-pensant wine geek. Among oenophiles, there is surely no organization more reviled than the WSWA, which for years has fought efforts to liberalize interstate wine shipping laws. What are the chances that the belle of the Republican base would agree to be the feature attraction at a booze convention at Caesars Palace? But it turned out the e-mail was no joke. Palin will indeed be speaking to the WSWA, to which I can only say, acronym to acronym, WTF?
To begin with, there appears to be no evidence that Palin's an oenophile and it's unclear if she even drinks. For many years, Palin attended a Pentecostal church, a denomination that generally forbids drinking. In his recent tell-all in Vanity Fair, her former future son-in-law Levi Johnston said that Palin "doesn't drink or cuss much" and frowned on her husband's fondness for beer (Johnston claimed that Todd Palin got around the problem by hiding his six-packs). It may just be a reflection of my own narrow-minded cosmopolitanism, but if she does imbibe, I strongly doubt that she is a fellow member of the tribe (of wine lovers, that is). She seems more like a shot-and-a-beer type, an assumption supported by the few insights that she has offered into her gastronomic worldview; in her book, Going Rogue, she writes, "I always remind people from outside our state that there is plenty of room for all Alaska's animals—right next to the mashed potatoes."
Related on the WebBecome a fan of Slate on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.Then there is the issue of whether it's even possible to buy alcohol in Wasilla, Alaska, where the Palins reside. Dozens of Alaskan communities are dry (a draconian remedy to an inevitable by-product of life on the last frontier: The harsh winters and the isolation tend to promote excessive drinking). But it turns out Wasilla is not one of them; in fact, it is home to a new wine bar called The Grape Tap. I spoke this week with co-owner Kelci Hatcher, who told me that Wasilla has quite a few wine enthusiasts and that business is good. "We came in, we served Veuve [Clicquot], Silver Oak, and Duckhorn by the glass, and it's been well-received," she said. Before I could even get the words out, Hatcher answered the inevitable question: "No, we haven't seen Sarah yet." And what wine would she suggest if Palin were to stop by and request a glass? "I'd ask her what she enjoys and we'd take it from there."
But even if Palin is a closet Merlot fan, there are political grounds for wondering about her WSWA gig. Since stepping down as Alaska's governor last summer to spend less time with her family and more time on Fox, Palin has positioned herself as a staunch libertarian. She is slated to be a headliner at next month's first-ever National Tea Party convention, which promises an orgy of anti-government histrionics. WSWA president and CEO Craig Wolf, in his press release last week, hailed Palin as "a great supporter of America's free enterprise system." If that is true, she certainly shouldn't address the liquor wholesalers, who have consistently impeded efforts to allow wine to flow more freely across state lines.
After devoting a column two years ago to the issue of interstate wine shipping, I vowed never to touch this migraine-inducing subject again. However, Palin has now obliged me to revisit it. To more effectively regulate liquor sales after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, most states put in place laws requiring an intermediary, the wholesaler, between the producer of an alcoholic beverage and the retailer. These regulations were enacted at a time when the U.S. wine industry was moribund and few Americans had an interest in wine. It is a very different story now: The country has several thousand wineries and millions of wine enthusiasts, and with the advent of online shopping and the ease and affordability of long-distance shipping, the three-tier distribution system has become an absurdly outdated barrier to free trade and consumer choice. Most states now permit some form of direct-to-consumer shipping from wineries, but the wholesalers are a well-financed interest group and have used their political muscle to limit the scope of many direct-shipping bills and to keep the existing regulatory framework intact. And direct-to-consumer shipping from wineries is just one part of this battle; at present, there are only a dozen states that allow people to have wine shipped to them from out-of-state retailers.
So why would Palin, champion of the free market and former governor of a state with some of the most progressive alcohol shipping policies in the country (despite all those dry towns and villages), cozy up to the WSWA? It can reasonably be assumed that she is heading to Las Vegas for the same reason most people go there: money. According to documents recently obtained by Politico, Palin's standard speaking fee is $100,000, though she charges only $75,000 for West Coast events. (A WSWA spokesperson refused to say what they will be paying her.) As for what the organization hopes to get in return, Wolf said that "we expect she will share with the convention attendees her analysis of the current political environment and her vision for America's future." Palin's presence will surely bring more attention to the WSWA meeting than it would otherwise attract. If the group had an explicit political motive for reaching out to her, perhaps it was to court social conservatives, who are among Palin's biggest supporters and presumably favor keeping interstate shipping laws as restrictive as possible (though it is worth noting that another darling of the religious right, Ken Starr, has been a key figure in efforts to overhaul those laws).
If Palin's libertarian rhetoric is sincere and she truly believes that excessive regulation is a problem, she should have no trouble recognizing that the wholesalers are on the wrong side of the shipping debate. But will she have the audacity to go rogue in Las Vegas and tell them that? My guess is that she will not dare slap the hand that signed the check. If, however, she takes the podium at Caesars Palace and calls on the wholesalers to end their obstructionism, I am prepared to borrow a page (literally) from my colleague Dan Gross: I will eat not my words but hers by consuming the first chapter of Going Rogue, which I will chase down with a bottle of wine shipped to me from another state.
Going Rosé: Why is Sarah Palin keynoting the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers convention?
- you might also like:
- The Going Rogue Index: Sarah Palin didn't put an index in her book. So we made one for her. (from Slate)
- Bring It On. And On. And On.: How a sleeper hit about cheerleading became a direct-to-DVD franchise. Plus: which sequel is best. (from Slate)
- Still Palin Time (from Slate)
- Sarah's Book Club: Sarah Palin talks about Going Rogue with Oprah. (from Slate)
- Selected for you by our sponsor:
- How to Save on Dining Out (from Real Simple)
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Why is Sarah Palin keynoting the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers convention? - By Mike Steinberger - Slate Magazine
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Poll of Republicans shows some little room for compromise - and a lot of false beliefs
Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 1/20-31. Self-identified Republicans. MoE 2% (No trend lines)
OBAMA and AMERICA
Should Barack Obama be impeached, or not?
Yes 39
No 32
Not Sure 29For what? Who the heck knows. Who needs high crimes or misdemeanors when...
Do you think Barack Obama is a socialist?
Yes 63
No 21
Not Sure 16That's the power of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, after one year of relentlessly claiming Obama is the second coming of Lenin ... and Hitler!
Do you believe Barack Obama was born in the United States, or not?
Yes 42
No 36
Not Sure 22We still have over a half of Republicans who don't think Obama was born in the US or think it's a matter open to debate.
Do you believe Barack Obama wants the terrorists to win?
Yes 24
No 43
Not Sure 33Not just a quarter of Republicans believe this ludicrous premise, but another third think it's a matter open to debate. How do you negotiate with a party whose rank and file are that divorced from reality? And speaking of divorced from reality...
Do you believe ACORN stole the 2008 election?
Yes 21
No 24
Not Sure 55One in five Republicans think ACORN is so powerful as to magically make 10 million votes appear. Another 55 are open to the theory. In other words, just 24 percent of Republicans have an even passing relationship with reality.
Do you believe Sarah Palin is more qualified to be President than Barack Obama?
Yes 53
No 14
Not Sure 33Sigh...
Do you believe Barack Obama is a racist who hates White people?
Yes 31
No 36
Not Sure 33I bet more people think Obama is racist, but were too afraid to tell a live operator the truth.
Do you believe your state should secede from the United States?
Yes 23
No 58
Not Sure 1942 percent of Republicans aren't really patriotic. They pretend to love America only when they approve of the president. These traitors don't believe in democracy, in our nation's founding ideals, or in our flag. To them, those colors run. They are cowards.
Note, secession sentiment is MUCH stronger in the South than elsewhere -- 33 percent want out, compared to just 52 percent who want to stay. In the Northeast, "just" 10 percent want out, in the Midwest, its 18 percent, and in the West, it's 16 percent. Can we cram them all into the Texas Panhandle, create the state of Dumbfuckistan, and build a wall around them to keep them from coming into America illegally?
ISSUES
Should Congress make it easier for workers to form and join labor unions?
Yes 7
No 68
Not Sure 25Would you favor or oppose giving illegal immigrants now living in the United States the right to live here legally if they pay a fine and learn English?
Favor 26
Oppose 59
Not Sure 15Do you support the death penalty?
Yes 91
No 4
Not Sure 5GAYS
Should openly gay men and women be allowed to serve in the military?
Yes 26
No 55
Not Sure 19Should same sex couples be allowed to marry?
Yes 7
No 77
Not Sure 16Should gay couples receive any state or federal benefits?
Yes 11
No 68
Not Sure 21Should openly gay men and women be allowed to teach in public schools?
Yes 8
No 73
Not Sure 19Oof. That's some serious neanderthal action going on. Gays can't serve their country, teach children, get married, or even have civil unions. That's the GOP agenda for gays, which makes the existence of the Log Cabin Republicans that much more of a mystery.
SCHOOLS
Should sex education be taught in the public schools?
Yes 42
No 51
Not Sure 7Should public school students be taught that the book of Genesis in the Bible explains how God created the world?
Yes 77
No 15
Not Sure 8In all of these questions, respondents from the South are slightly crazier, and those from the Northeast slightly less crazier, than the average. In these two questions, the differences are particularly exaggerated. In the South, the sex-ed question comes out 39-56, compared to 47-45 in the Northwest. For the creationism question, it's 82-9 in the South, compared to 70-23 in the Northwest.
I must admit, however, that I expected fewer Republicans to back sex ed. Another big surprise:
WOMEN
Are marrigiages equal partnerships, or are men the leaders of their households?
Men 13
Equal 76
Not Sure 11Should women work outside the home?
Yes 86
No 4
Not Sure 10Phyllis Schlafly is crying. That looks a lot more enlightened than I expected, likely because the economic reality is that few people can get away with single-income homes. But whatever the reason, on this front, there's progress. But that's where the progress ends:
Should contraceptive use be outlawed?
Yes 31
No 56
Not Sure 13Do you believe the birth control pill is abortion?
Yes 34
No 48
Not Sure 18Do you consider abortion to be murder?
Yes 76
No 8
Not Sure 16Over a third of Republicans believe the birth control pill is abortion, which explains why nearly a third of them want contraceptive use outlawed. This is so wingnutty, it's hardly believable. But it's true, just a bare majority oppose outlawing contraceptives.
What we didn't ask was whether the 76 percent who consider abortion to be murder would advocate executions for women who have them. Since 91 percent of respondents support the death penalty.
One last question:
Do you believe that the only way for an individual to go to heaven is though Jesus Christ, or can one make it to heaven through another faith?
Christ 67
Other 15
Not Sure 18Two-thirds of Republicans assume anyone that is not a Christian is going to hell. It certainly makes it easier for them to dehumanize their enemies, either real or perceived.
I'll address the presidential straw poll questions in a separate post.
Aside from my general alarm at the responses to questions like whether Obama should be impeached or whether Sarah Palin is more qualified than Obama to be president, I am deeply saddened by these results. At best, some of the responses in this research suggest that we have a lot of citizens who lack a basic understanding of our founding principles -- like separation of Church and State and the right to free, fair and open elections.
Perhaps the saddest part is that people who hold views like these seem most unlikely to be open to even discuss alternate ideas with folks like me. How can we ever solve any of our community or national (or world) problems without open discussion and compromise based on the points on which we agree?
What are your thoughts?
Bravo! Target takes cue from @seafoodwatch, eliminates farmed salmon
As both a foodie and an environmentalist, this decision by Target pleases me immensely. Farmed salmon not only lacks the robust flavor of wild Pacific salmon, it has a long list of negative impacts on the sea ecology. Unfortunately, it's the most commonly found salmon in supermarkets because of its low price. Let your local stores know that you want them to stop selling farmed salmon, too. If Target can do it on a mass market level, surely others can. For more information, go to http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx, and for the Seafood Watch pocket guide, an online search tool, or a very handy iPhone app, go to http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_recommendations.aspx.
Target Eliminates Farmed Salmon From All Target Stores
Monday, February 1, 2010
"The 30-Second Rule, A Decision Tree" by Audrey Fukuman and Andy Wright.
This gem comes from the SFWeekly's Foodie blog (http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/.)
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Cruise Law News: James M. Walker on how little RCCL/Celebrity are doing for Haiti
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Marin Farmer Mark Pasternak reports first-hand from Haiti
Devil's Gulch Ranch &
DG Educational Services News
December 2009
_____________________________________________________________________________________
News from Haiti
As some of you might know, the entire Pasternak family went down to Haiti 2 weeks ago, to continue the Farmer to Farmer volunteer work Myriam is involved in which helps locals learn how to raise rabbits. Haiti ProjectThe family 'vacation' turned into a disaster, when the earthquake hit. The family is safe, I just spoke to Mark, and he and the girls are in transit back to SFO this afternoon. Myriam decided to stay on longer to help. KRON will be meeting them at the airport around 7:30 to conduct a live interview. KRON also did a phone interview while Mark was in the Dominican Republic which you can hear at: KRON There has been multiple news coverage: KRON News and Marin IJBelow is an email received from Mark yesterday. Thanks to all who called out of concern. Friends and Family,The girls and I arrived last night in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by C-130 US Coast Guard evacuation plane from Port a Prince. Myriam is staying there a few days to help a bit more. The devastation is not to be believed. When the earthquake struck, we were just arriving at Rivera Foid, a compound run by Haitian sisters with a school and clinic, approx 30 miles south of Port a Prince. The 3 story school building completely collapsed, killing many, if not most of the 300-400 school children. We were pulling children from the rubble most of the night, doing triage and helping as much as possible with the limited resources available. The girls were troopers. We returned to Signeau, a hospital, school and farm, in the town of Leo Gane, in the country, 30 miles or so further south the next day around noon. We were able to get a brief email messege out that evening from a nearby UN compound where they advised us to go to the Port a Prince airport ASAP and evacuate. The girls and I did that Thursday AM, but Myriam stayed. After dropping us off at the airport, she went on to a village in the mountains about an hour North called Gran Boulage with 2 sisters in their jeep with their driver. Her plan is to leave within a day or 2.Most multistory buildings within 50-100 mile radius of Port a Prince have been destroyed; UN headquarters, national government buildings, international embasseys, the national cell phone headquarters, schools, hospitals. The sea port is completely unusable, so they cannot unload cargo ships with aid supplies. The airport is very small, and cannot accommodate many planes at a time. It also has limited infrastructure for unloading cargo. Already planes cannot refuel at Port a Prince, limiting their payload capacity because they must fly there with enough fuel to fly out. Supplies of water, food and fuel in Port a Prince will shortly run out creating the very real possibility of widespread chaos in a city of 1-2 million people. There is very little heavy equipment of the kind that will be necessary to excavate many of the destroyed buildings, so that process will take many weeks, creating huge sanitation risks.Haiti will be needing as much help as it can get.The girls and I should be home Saturday evening.Mark
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Devil's Gulch Ranch & DG Educational Services
DG Educational Services | PO Box 557 | Nicasio | CA | 94946
Friday, January 15, 2010
HealthyPharmacies.org eyes 'pharmacy of the future' - Chain Drug Review
News Breaks
HealthyPharmacies.org eyes 'pharmacy of the future'
January 14th, 2010SAN FRANCISCO � HealthyPharmacies.org, a health and wellness retail initiative launched by Elephant Pharmacy founder Stuart Skorman, plans a series of "pharmacy of the future" pilot programs this summer.
The nonprofit said Thursday that in several cities in the San Francisco Bay area, it's working to design and build turnkey wellness centers in chain stores containing pharmacies.
Each center, which will be adapted to available space in the host stores, will include an educational component, featuring live and video-based classes; health care professionals on hand to offer advice and guidance and supervise educational events; and a variety of high-margin natural products, such as food, supplements, body care and beauty items, and health-related books.
HealthyPharmacies.org said that the centers will be staffed by such health care professionals as pharmacists, qualified graduate school students, advice nurses, aestheticians, nutritionists and herbalists, and that all of the pilot programs will be designed to be profitable for the stores.
According to Skorman, HealthyPharmacies.org's solution for in-store wellness centers is based on concepts first developed at Elephant Pharmacy, which closed its remaining three stores in early February 2009.
"We are building on the widespread popularity in the San Francisco area for Elephant Pharmacy, which was essentially a store-of-the-future pilot program," explains the entrepreneur, who is the nonprofit's executive director and also helped invent Whole Foods Market. "A variety of organizations, including academic institutions, local governments and health care nonprofits, will be helping to both design and operate the different pilot programs. One city government is considering allowing 24-hour drive-through windows as an incentive for chains to participate."
HealthyPharmacies.org, too, said it aims to help retail pharmacies foster wellness through messaging. To that end, it has introduced a new healthy messaging section on its web site with 23 wellness messages designed to fit on in-store signs. The nonprofit plans to offer pharmacies new messages from health care practitioners and organizations monthly.
And in line with its mission of promoting wellness in pharmacies, HealthyPharmacies.org has been advocating the elimination of tobacco sales by pharmacies, noting that such products conflict with pharmacies' standing as health and wellness destinations.
In fact, the nonprofit predicts that tobacco will be sold in few if any U.S. pharmacies within three years � especially if a major chain such as CVS, Walgreens or Walmart would go tobacco-free, which would push other retailers to follow suit to maintain their wellness message.
"We've been amazed at how strong the support is for throwing tobacco out of all pharmacies," comments Skorman. "The first mover will have the opportunity to pull off the PR coup of the century in the pharmacy industry. All the pharmacies have put wellness at the center of their marketing campaigns. But by eliminating tobacco from their stores, they will be sending a strong message to consumers that they really do care about peoples' health while their competitors don't."
In early November, HealthyPharmacies.org proposed that limiting tobacco sales exclusively to pharmacies would significantly reduce smoking, since putting cigarettes and other tobacco items behind the pharmacy counter would give pharmacists an opportunity to provide smoking cessation education and suggest smoking cessation products. However, the nonprofit said pharmacy school leaders and anti-smoking groups strongly rejected the proposal because they think pharmacists � as health care providers � should not sell tobacco under any circumstances.
More News Breaks >>
Royal Caribbean, Celebrity ships to deliver relief supplies to Haiti
Royal Caribbean Cruises provides humanitarian relief to Haiti after earthquake
Miami - (January 15, 2010 ) - Royal Caribbean Cruises, one of Haiti's largest foreign investors for almost 30 years, today announced its plans to provide at least $1 million in humanitarian relief to Haiti in response to the catastrophic earthquake in Port-Au-Prince. Royal Caribbean will be partnering with charitable organizations - such as Food for the Poor, Pan American Development Foundation, and the Solano Foundation, the company's foundation in Haiti - to provide additional assistance to the people of Haiti. Royal Caribbean will also be delivering much needed goods and supplies to Haiti via their cruise ships.
"The effect of the earthquake on Haiti has been catastrophic, leaving the country in need of not only immediate support, but assistance in their long-term recovery," said Richard D. Fain, chairman and chief executive officer, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "Royal Caribbean wants to do its part to help out not only the general response, but also our hundreds of Haitian employees and their families through this disaster."
"In addition to our financial contribution, Royal Caribbean will continue to provide economic support through the continuous business we bring to Labadee," Fain added.
Leslie Voltaire, Special Envoy of the government of Haiti to the United Nations said, "Given the terrible economic and social challenges we now face in Haiti, we welcome the continuation of the positive economic benefits that the cruise ship calls to Labadee contribute to our country."
The benefits start with Royal Caribbean International's Independence of the Seas' call today to Labadee, Haiti, which includes much needed supplies for the country.
The supplies were loaded on the ship during its call in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and include items such as rice, dried beans, powdered milk, water and canned goods. In addition, 100 percent of the company's net revenue from the destination will be contributed to the relief effort.
In the next two weeks, the following ships are scheduled to call on Labadee with additional supplies: Navigator of the Seas on Monday, January 18; Liberty of the Seas on Tuesday, January 19; and Celebrity Solstice on Friday, January 22. When the supplies arrive in Labadee, they will be transported to an offsite location to be distributed by Food for the Poor, a long time partner of Royal Caribbean in Haiti.
In addition to working with Food for the Poor to distribute relief supplies, guests sailing onboard Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises will be able to make a donation to Food for the Poor's Haiti Relief Fund, via a charge to their onboard account. Guests who would like to contribute immediately can visit Food for the Poor website to make a donation. Royal Caribbean also plans to use a portion of the $1 million donation to augment the company's Crew Relief Fund, which can be drawn on by any of the company's more than 200 Haitian crew members for assistance, as well as to match employee contributions to the partner organizations.
As the initial response effort gives way to the long-term recovery effort, Royal Caribbean will consider further support efforts.Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Cruises and CDF Croisieres de France. The company has a combined total of 39 ships in service and four under construction. It also offers unique land-tour vacations in Alaska, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Dubai, Europe and South America. Additional information can be found on Azamara Club Cruises website, Royal Caribbean website, Celebrity Cruises website, Pullmantur website,Croisieres de France website or Investor Relations website.
10 Things to do with your Angst about Haiti - Barry Schuler's Synapsis
10 Things to do with your Angst about Haiti
Click to view largeDownload this gallery (ZIP, undefined KB)Download full size (60 KB)We all know that the tragedy in Haiti is horrendous. I have been there and it was a very challenged country before the seismic devastation.
The angst about it in the Twittersphere is palpable. Watching @AlisonRosen seeking counsel from @LisaLikes on her UStream show was but a small example.
So here are a few tips on how to #dosomething and be a good citizen.
1. Donate Smart Money not dumb money. Don't blindly text a donation to make you feel good. Many are scams.
2. Money is not usually the most important resource initially. The US Government has now arrived with food, water and emergency shelter and heavy equipment.
3. If you feel compelled to donate money call the Red Cross or better yet walk into an office and ask how you might help. They might ask for clothes.
4. Let World Governments fund UN activities, they are not an efficient Philantropy.
5. Epic tragedies are best handled by the big US agencies. Fact: over 50% of the US Navy's mission is disaster relief. They do it extremely well. It's something you should be proud of as an American. If you are experiencing longer term depression over Haiti, you could join the Navy, but that might be an over-reaction.
6. While you have this wave of #dosomething energy - open your eyes and look around you. There are many tragedic "mini Haitis" right here in the US. Spend Saturday volunteering at a homeless shelter. Instead of turning your head as you walk by a homeless person, talk to them directly and firmly. Ask them if they are hungry and escort them to the nearest shelter. Do NOT give them money. It will be turned into Rock in 30 minutes.
7. Look at the state of Education in the US. A nationwide dropout rate at 30%. In Detroit it's almost 80% LA 60%. The kids who exit our school systems become like Haitians inside the US. They are doomed to a lifetime of drugs, crime, health problems, low wages, prison. The numers are staggering - Three Million kids a year, lost by our education system! We need all hands on deck to fix this.
8. Point #7 should disturb you as much as the tragedy in Haiti. If it doesn't, stop reading this and go figure out your own junk. However if it does, Start getting yourself up to speed on the many programs that are working very hard to transform public education. Your own district likely has a foundation that supports your schools. Call them. Visit. Ask what you can do to help. This is a good place to make a donation - help prevent an American child from becoming someone who lives in conditions like a Hatian.
9. Become an Edu-warrior. No other issue, including Healthcare and the Economy requires more attention by every citizen. It all comes back to education http://bit.ly/5wLGMv
10. Big tragedies happen often and they create a lot of angst and emotion. If you dedicate 10 or 20% of your time to some worthy cause, no matter what it is, you can lay claim to your heart. The angst over "I sort of feel weird joking on Twitter with all this tragedy in Haiti" is a symptom that your Karmic balance sheet is out of whack.
Do Something
Great advice from someone who knows what to do.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Journalist, physician, or both? What are the boundaries?
A dilemma. How best to show I care - and do some good?
Original Tweet: http://twitter.com/SFDoug/status/7771988122 Sent via TweetDeck (www.tweetdeck.com)
Sent from my iPhone
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Novartis, BloodSource kick-off effort to increase blood donations by African-Americans - Sacramento Business Journal:
Currently, only one in five African-American who need a life-saving bone-marrow transplant will receive one because not enough African-Americans donate blood and bone marrow.
BloodSource and Novartis Diagnostics announced a partnership Monday to change that. The Sacramento-based blood bank and Emeryville division of the Swiss firm Novartis are kicking off an advertising and community outreach program over the next two months to encourage African-Americans to donate blood and register as bone-marrow donors.
The campaign is funded by a grant from Novartis, but the company declined to give the amount.
Sacramento is believed to be the first American city where such a campaign specifically reaches out to African-Americans. If successful, it could set a regional example of how to reverse a national trend that leaves thousand of African-Americans with little hope of receiving effective treatment for leukemia, sickle-cell anemia and other life-threatening diseases.
African-Americans make up 8 percent of the population in the Sacramento region, but account for only 2.3 percent of blood donations.
Bone-marrow transplants are often accompanied by a need for transfusions of matching blood types. Chances of a successful match between bone-marrow donor and recipient are much higher between people from the same racial or ethnic background.
Nationally, African-Americans are the least likely of any racial minority group to find a bone-marrow match.
“Donating blood and joining the Be the Match bone-marrow registry can save lives and will offer hope to another African-American on the other side of the country — or, quite possibly, a neighbor down the street,” BloodSource spokeswoman Leslie Botos said in a news release.
Novartis Diagnostics has been focused on solving unmet medical needs and the company is interested in improving the process for bone marrow transplants, said Dr. Cathi Petti, head of medical and scientific affairs for the company.
The division was formed in 2006 when the company bought Chiron Corp., a leader in blood safety testing for the transfusion industry.
For more information about the dates and times to give blood or to register as a possible bone-marrow donor, call BloodSource at 866-822-5663 or visit bloodsource.org.
(Disclosure: I work for Novartis.)
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Giant tuna fetches $177,000 at Japan fish auction - Yahoo! News
TOKYO – A giant bluefin tuna fetched 16.3 million yen ($177,000) in an auction Tuesday at the world's largest wholesale fish market in Japan.
The 513-pound (233-kilogram) fish was the priciest since 2001 when a 440-pound (200 kilogram) tuna sold for a record 20.2 million yen ($220,000) at Tokyo's Tsukiji market.
The gargantuan tuna was bought and shared by the owners of two Japanese sushi restaurants and one Hong Kong-based sushi establishment, said a market representative on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information.
Caught off the coast of northern Japan, the big tuna was among 570 put up for auction Tuesday. About 40 percent of the auctioned fish came from abroad, including from Indonesia and Mexico, the representative said.
Japan is the world's biggest consumer of seafood with Japanese eating 80 percent of the Atlantic and Pacific bluefins caught. The two tuna species are the most sought after by sushi lovers.
However, tuna consumption in Japan has declined because of a prolonged economic slump as the world's second-largest economy struggles to shake off its worst recession since World War II.
"Consumers are shying away from eating tuna ... We are very worried about the trend," the market representative said.
Apart from falling demand for tuna, wholesalers are worried about growing calls for tighter fishing rules amid declining tuna stocks.
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas in November slashed the quota for the 2010 catch by about one-third to 13,500 tons (12,250 metric tons) — a move criticized by environmentalists as not going far enough.
I suppose the good news here is that the demand for bluefin tuna has declined. Not enough, however. Please avoid bluefin tuna so that the species can recover from overfishing.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
A first-hand report on the Newark airport security scare
 Heather_Poole (@Heather_Poole)1/3/10 9:51 PM INTERESTING READ...RT article on the farce of Airport security & the Newark Airport Lockdown on HuffPost http://bit.ly/5hByNO @RabbiShmuley |
Sent with Tweetie
More informed commentary on the TSA follies from Joe Brancatelli
New "rules" from the TSA announced
Reply-To: "Joe Brancatelli" <joe@joesentme.com>
January 3, 2010 11:15 pm ETDear JoeSentMe member:
Tonight's announcement from the Transportation Security Administration that it is implementing new security measures for international flights headed to the United States means the agency has gone into full CYA mode.
In short, the announcement is mindless, full of gobbledygook and virtually useless for travelers trying to figure out how to reasonable prepare for a flight to the United States.
If you doubt my assessment, I invite you to examine it yourself here: http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/010310_statement.shtm .
Okay, now that's we've established the reality of what is going on here, let's try to figure out what we have to do to survive the next period on the road.
For starters, expect more nit-picky, phony-baloney tactics at security checkpoints everywhere. As they have been since the failed attack on Northwest Flight 253 on Christmas Day, security screeners are going to paw over more of your carry-on belongings, make more silly claims about what may or may not be permitted and generally treat you like a potential terrorist because you're carrying an unmarked bottle of shampoo. You'll certainly have to leave more time to clear security checkpoints starting tomorrow.
Expect more secondary screenings and pat-downs, too. This is likely to be random. You remember "random" from the days right after 9/11, don't you? The first two people on line to board the plane are "randomly" pulled aside for extra screening at the gate.
On flights departing to the United States, assume secondary screenings and pat-downs will be standard for every passenger.
In-flight on international itineraries, expect some flight crews to make you stay in your seat during the last hour or so of flying. Expect others to take away your blankets or restrict your access to your carry-on bags. These procedures are no longer demanded by the TSA--the agency backed off that late last week--but the TSA has empowered crews to enforce these restrictions if they wish. Most flight crews are NOT playing this game. But if you run into a flight attendant who does, be smart: Don't argue. You won't win.
One substantive change implemented tonight by the TSA has to do with routings from or through countries the United States has branded sponsors of terrorism or nations the U.S. has decided are "of interest." If your itinerary includes any of these states, expect several layers of intrusive security, including inane questioning, obsessive attention to your carry-on and checked bags and pat-downs or other physical inspections of your person.
Which nations are involved? Well, why would you expect the TSA to tell you? But we can infer these states, at least, are targeted: Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.
One final and important warning: Many international carriers have imposed a one-carry-on-bag rule in recent days because the new security screening and caused long lines at checkpoints. And one nation, Canada, has officially banned ALL carry-on bags on flights to the United States. You can examine that insane rule, imposed by Canada's equivalent of the TSA, here: http://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/Page.aspx?ID=77&pname=measures_mesures&lang=en. Check with your carrier for its current rules for carry-ons. Assume nothing.
Now you can ask the obvious question: Would any of these new rules have actually stopped the so-called Underwear Bomber from boarding NW Flight 253. Of course not. He didn't have any contraband in his carry-on bag and most pat-downs wouldn't have caught the comparatively small amount of explosive material he stashed in his drawers.
But these new rules show you the TSA is on the case. The more they make the flying experience inconvenient and full of nits being picked, the more they think you think they are doing their job.
We know better. And, frankly, so do they. But this is CYA time and when government agencies cover their keister, we pay the price in time--in convenience and in sanity.
Be safe on the road this week.
Joe Brancatelli // Joe@JoeSentMe.com
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I would send your article to Palin & her handlers!