Clipmarks | valeehill's clips

Medicare puts docs in limbo

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:27:11 GMT

clipped by: valeehill

On Tuesday, July 15, Medicare is required to pay us for services provided since the first of this month. On that date, Medicare will also cut payments for those same services by 10.6 percent, which would be devastating to my practice. Congress has passed bipartisan, legislation, H.R. 6331, to halt the cut, but President Bush's spokesperson says he'll veto it. If he does, Congress may be able to override, but that is no sure thing.

In the meantime, physicians are caught in limbo. Either Medicare will cut our payments by 10.6 percent, starting on Tuesday, or Medicare will pay us nothing at all for care we've already delivered while waiting for Washington to act.

We need our lawmakers to tell President Bush to sign this bill by Tuesday, or they need to immediately vote to override. I pay my taxes to Washington on time, is it too much to ask Washington to pay us what it owes?

Tags: medical

Animal Abuse by Any Other Name

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 01:59:48 GMT

clipped by: valeehill

Clip Source: hsus.typepad.com

I'm talking about Californians for Safe Food. A group with a name like that sounds like an advocate for passing the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act—the California ballot measure to phase out veal crates, gestation crates, and battery cages that will appear on the November general election ballot. But no, Californians for Safe Food is the creation of some of the biggest factory farms in the United States, and it's the official group opposing the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act.

The ballot measure is also good for the environment. And it's good for food safety; and that's why it’s backed by reputable groups that have credibility and authenticity on the issue of food safety, such as the Center for Food Safety, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production.

Tags: animals, abuse, vote

FamilyLink.com to Enhance Family History Library Catalog

Thu, 15 May 2008 12:38:44 GMT

clipped by: valeehill
clipper's remarks: Sound promising.

Clip Source: ancestryinsider.blogspot.com

FamilySearch Engages FamilyLink.com, Inc. to Add Functionality and Enhancements to Popular Online Family History Library Catalog

SALT LAKE CITY—FamilyLink.com, Inc. has teamed with FamilySearch to improve the user experience of the Family History Library Catalog for millions of people worldwide by adding new Web 2.0 functionality and enhancements. The improvements will also enable users to spend research time more efficiently by directing them to the information that will generate the quickest results.

FamilyLink.com’s improvements to the catalog will make it searchable by major online search engines and allow users to annotate item descriptions—increasing their accuracy and enriching the content.

Tags: genealogy

Paul Newman Pledges $100,000 to Animal Organizations at Launch of Organic Pet Food Line

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:22:53 GMT

clipped by: valeehill

Clip Source: www.newmansownorganics.com

APTOS, Calif...Newman's Own Organics announces the introduction of its new line of premium pet foods for dogs and cats that will benefit animals' nutritional health as well as animal related causes.

All of the foods contain certified organic vegetables and grains. The products do not contain antibiotics, hormones, chemical ingredients or artificial preservatives, colors, or additives. The pet food, like all of Newman's Own Organics' products, has been certified by Oregon Tilth. Paul and Nell Newman have chosen to donate all of the charity money generated by the sale of the pet food to organizations that support animals' well-being.

Tags: animals, pets, nutrition, charity

3 tornadoes rip through Virginia, injuring more than 200

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:35:13 GMT

clipped by: valeehill

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

Three tornadoes destroyed homes, tossed cars and injured more than 200 people as they carved Monday through central and southeastern Virginia. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine declared a state of emergency for the areas of southeastern Virginia struck by the twisters.

The National Weather Service confirmed that tornadoes struck Suffolk, Colonial Heights and Brunswick County. Meteorologist Bryan Jackson described Suffolk's as a "major tornado."

Bob Spieldenner from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management said at least 200 were injured in Suffolk and 18 others were injured in Colonial Heights.

"Multiple buildings have been destroyed, homes have been destroyed," Suffolk city spokeswoman Dana Woodson said.

Sentara hospital spokesman Dale Gauding said about 60 injured people were being treated there, and he expected most to be released.

About 9,000 Dominion Virginia Power customers remained without service Monday night, mostly in the Northern Neck.

Tags: virginia, tornadoes

Introduction to peanut allergies

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:37:47 GMT

clipped by: valeehill
clipper's remarks: There are eight sections in the article.

Clip Source: www.mayoclinic.com

An allergic reaction to peanuts can range from a minor irritation to a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis. Even people who have only had a mild reaction in the past are at risk of a more serious future reaction.

Peanut allergy is common and often appears in the first years of life. While many children outgrow allergies to other foods such as milk or eggs, most kids don't outgrow peanut allergy as they get older.

If your child has a peanut allergy — or you're an adult who has had a reaction — tell your doctor about it, even if it was minor. Tests can help confirm a peanut allergy, so you can take steps to avoid future and potentially worse reactions.

Tags: health, allergies

Healthy Self-Esteem Defined

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:35:40 GMT

clipped by: valeehill

Clip Source: psychcentral.com

Monday, Apr. 28 (Psych Central) -- Current self-help literature is replete with strategies to elevate self-esteem and improve mental health. However, psychologists are looking at such behavior and saying out loud what may go against the grain of how many people act: high self-esteem is not the same thing as healthy self-esteem.

And new research by a psychology professor from the University of Georgia is adding another twist: those with “secure” high self-esteem are less likely to be verbally defensive than those who have “fragile” high self-esteem.

“There are many kinds of high self-esteem, and in this study we found that for those in which it is fragile and shallow it’s no better than having low self-esteem,” said Michael Kernis.

“People with fragile high self-esteem compensate for their self-doubts by engaging in exaggerated tendencies to defend, protect and enhance their feelings of self-worth.”

Tags: health, psychology

Put a Fork in Global Warming

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:22:41 GMT

clipped by: valeehill

Clip Source: hsus.typepad.com

This Earth Day, in addition to celebrating the planet and pledging to improve your individual efforts to live more lightly, each one of us can—and must—also commit to making more environmentally sustainable and animal welfare-friendly food choices. It is one of the best ways to lessen your individual environmental footprint.

Please make a personal pledge to reduce your consumption of meat, dairy, and eggs. If each American cut back on animal consumption by just 10 percent, approximately 1 billion fewer animals would be raised for food. Our online guide to reducing, refining, and replacing animal products can get you started.

Tags: global warming, food

Potentially Fraudulent Sites Posing as Genealogy Websites

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:59:28 GMT

clipped by: valeehill

Clip Source: blogs.ancestry.com

We have recently become aware of three websites purporting to allow family history research: SearchYourGenealogy.com, Ancestry-search.com and Australian-Ancestry.com. The sites claim to have “the largest online genealogical search tool” and promote themselves as the foremost resources for genealogy, but from what we can tell, these sites are nothing more than a series of web pages with links to other services. These sites, in our opinion, are clearly fraudulent.

The people/companies behind the websites are buying very high level paid search results on Google and other sites. In addition, they are using trademarks of well-known websites, including Ancestry.com and Genealogy.com, to get higher-than-normal natural search results. It appears the site colors, fonts, and pictures on at least one site are designed to mislead people into believing the site is related to Ancestry.com.

Tags: genealogy, fraud

Biting Back Against Puppy Mills

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:46:58 GMT

clipped by: valeehill

Clip Source: hsus.typepad.com

But the traffickers of puppy mill dogs are adept at misdirection, and succeed in selling people a bill of goods about the superiority of other sources for animals. They purport to sell dogs only from responsible breeders, even though nothing could be further from the truth. To succeed, the mills only have to dupe a portion of the public.

As I've said before, this problem would be solved if people simply did not purchase dogs from pet stores or through the Internet. The best place, bar none, to get a companion animal is at the local shelter, or through a rescue group. Every time someone adopts from a shelter, he or she is directly helping to diminish the tragedy of animal overpopulation. We all need to do more to promote adoption in the first instance.

Tags: animals, puppy mills

Ancestry of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:05:14 GMT

clipped by: valeehill
clipper's remarks: Individuals in three generations of Dr. King's ancestry are highlighted. Very interesting.

Clip Source: genealogy.about.com

Forty years ago, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, to support striking sanitation workers protesting poor wages and working conditions. That visit, unfortunately, ended in tragedy as the 39-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed outside his hotel room on April 4, 1968. While Dr. King was best known as the nation's chief civil rights leader, however, he was first and foremost a pastor - descended from a long line of pastors. His father was a pastor. His maternal great-grandfather was a pastor. Several of his uncles were preachers and pastors. Preaching was very much a part of his family history. I'm sure he made his ancestors proud.

Tags: genealogy, history, mlk

Top 10 Search Tips for Census Success

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 02:03:32 GMT

clipped by: valeehill
clipper's remarks: Read the original post for some excellent tips from Kimberly Powell.

Clip Source: genealogy.about.com

We all have ancestors we would swear were somehow skipped or overlooked by the census taker. It's more than likely that some of them were. More often, however, it's an indexing error that has us running in circles. When online census indexes leave you pulling out your hair in frustration, try these census search tips for locating your 'misplaced' ancestor.

Tags: genealogy

The fix for pet overpopulation

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 19:02:08 GMT

clipped by: valeehill
clipper's remarks: The problem with pet overpopulation does not exist only with dogs and cats. Small animals and farm animals are often killed immediately because housing is not available at shelters. The phrase, "Do Not Breed or Buy While Shelter Pets Die" makes sense when so many millions are discarded. Many of these are purebred animals that few expect to see on "death row."

Clip Source: www.usatoday.com

The simple math, experts say, is that far more animals are being born every year than can be placed.

Despite successful campaigns to persuade prospective owners to adopt shelter pets, about 7 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters every year, and there's no evidence that adoptions will increase enough to close the gap, experts say.

The massive number of animals euthanized in shelters "was the secret that no one wanted to talk about or hear about," even as recently as the 1990s, when 17 million animals were being destroyed annually, says Aimee St. Arnaud of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Now those numbers are being broadcast and push to spay or neuter is accelerating:

Tags: pets, animals, overpopulation, spaying, neutering

Police Seek Owner of 20 Dead Great Danes

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 16:51:51 GMT

clipped by: valeehill
clipper's remarks: Unconscionable behavior. She belongs on America's Most Wanted as far as I'm concerned.

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

The former owner of a property where more than 20 Great Dane carcasses were found earlier this month has been charged with animal cruelty.

Police issued a warrant for the arrest of Cheryl Ann Magnotta, 59, after she was charged with 21 counts of animal cruelty, Bradford Township police said Friday.

Tags: dogs, animals, cruelty, crime

Kellogg to Curb Marketing of Foods to Children

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 01:26:03 GMT

clipped by: valeehill
clipper's remarks: My child does not watch children's television, but I still want to say a "hooray" over this small step.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

The Kellogg Company announced today that it will phase out advertising its products to children under age 12 unless the foods meet specific nutrition guidelines for calories, sugar, fat and sodium.

Froot Loops’ days on Saturday morning television may be numbered.

Kellogg also announced that it would stop using licensed characters or branded toys to promote foods unless the products meet the nutrition guidelines.

The voluntary changes, which will be put in place over the next year and a half, will apply to about half of the products that Kellogg currently markets to children worldwide, including Froot Loops and Apple Jacks cereals and some varieties of Pop Tarts.

Tags: kellogg, marketing, children, food