To put it more bluntly, the government is putting itself in the uncomfortable position of subsidizing both the costs of treating Type 2 diabetes and the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup.
Heidi's Journal
My Podcast Link
11/12/2009 16:33 #50286
Big Food vs. Big InsuranceThose of you who get the co-op newsletter probably already saw this, but because it's come up in our discussions about health care and obesity, I thought I'd post it.
11/10/2009 10:57 #50264
Argh! Stupak amendmentCategory: politics
Breaking Down Abortion Language In Health Bill
(background: Hyde Amendment)
When Congress Sells Out Women
Democrats face backlash over House abortion limits (they'd better!)
As if this legislation isn't a big enough give-away to insurance corporations, we have to have a give-away to the Catholic Church??
(background: Hyde Amendment
)When Congress Sells Out Women
Democrats face backlash over House abortion limits (they'd better!)
As if this legislation isn't a big enough give-away to insurance corporations, we have to have a give-away to the Catholic Church??
heidi - 11/10/09 19:50
Massive restrictions on insurance company funding of abortion - essentially any plan that has any federal subsidy attached to it cannot cover abortion. This greatly expands beyond the Hyde Amendment's restrictions on federal funding of abortion (ie thru medicaid, which 17 states have created workarounds to fund abortions).
That first link above is super-quick read but NPR is having trouble at the moment. :-/
Massive restrictions on insurance company funding of abortion - essentially any plan that has any federal subsidy attached to it cannot cover abortion. This greatly expands beyond the Hyde Amendment's restrictions on federal funding of abortion (ie thru medicaid, which 17 states have created workarounds to fund abortions).
That first link above is super-quick read but NPR is having trouble at the moment. :-/
jenks - 11/10/09 19:12
ack, no time to check the links- can you give me bullet points?
ack, no time to check the links- can you give me bullet points?
jason - 11/10/09 11:33
We have to come to grips with the fact that we live in a death culture. Trying to be a culture of life is too much work for too little of a return. It never works. Guns, the needle, dilation and extraction, chemicals...I'm all for it these days.
We have to come to grips with the fact that we live in a death culture. Trying to be a culture of life is too much work for too little of a return. It never works. Guns, the needle, dilation and extraction, chemicals...I'm all for it these days.
11/01/2009 17:28 #50183
final costumeCategory: holiday
The pin:
libertad - 11/02/09 21:07
You looked great. The hat is amazing.
You looked great. The hat is amazing.
metalpeter - 11/02/09 19:37
And she wasn't even the one showing off the most boobs at the Party.
And she wasn't even the one showing off the most boobs at the Party.
matthew - 11/02/09 09:56
Cleavage! You Edwardian harlot you. ;) just imagine what would happen if we gave woman the right to vote. Boobs everywhere!!!
Cleavage! You Edwardian harlot you. ;) just imagine what would happen if we gave woman the right to vote. Boobs everywhere!!!
lilho - 11/01/09 20:12
pretty cool. good idea.
pretty cool. good idea.
theecarey - 11/01/09 19:05
Gorgeous! I just love your look in this. Our paths crossed at the party but somehow I failed to introduce myself.
Gorgeous! I just love your look in this. Our paths crossed at the party but somehow I failed to introduce myself.
10/29/2009 17:58 #50142
Hats!Category: shopping
As I've been working on compiling my Halloween costume, I've tried several hats and haven't been happy with them. I went to a party at the North Street Nickel City coop house Saturday night and some lovely woman let me borrow her adorable black velvet hat with rose detail but of course wanted it back as the she left. I wasn't quick enough to ask if I could rent it from her for this weekend's festivities. I had found a cute little half-hat at Patricia's, the crazy over-stuffed store next to East End Salon on Allen but I couldn't get it to sit right with my too-big head and too-thick hair. I highly recommend Patricia's for accessories. Adorable black velvet bag, elbow-length gloves... she even had white kid-leather elbow length gloves with the buttons at the wrist - they were gorgeous! They're something I've only read about. I feel like a bull in a china shop - the pathways are so narrow and everything is piled so high - so I just tell her what I need and she scurries around, digging deep into piles of furs, hats, suits, accessories, shoes, and random household items until she finds the perfect item. It's like a combination grandmother's attic, thrift store, and Claire's.
Anyway, so I checked out House of Randolph, 70 Allen St., hoping the cute fancy dresses in the window would be accompanied by hats. Irma, the owner, said she doesn't carry hats but did show me her gorgeous clothes "for us voluptuous women... the clothes are not for sticks." Really beautiful stuff and next time I need a fancy outfit, I'm going to try there first. As funky & cool as Allen Street Dress Shop is, they rarely have anything that fits me.
So I used the google machine to find "hats buffalo ny"... and I found Flashy Toppers over on Jefferson Ave. Stunning hats!!! They've got men's and women's hats, flashy and subdued. Very fun, great service. They've got a coupon in the Buffalo First coupon book, too. My hat has sequins, lace, and rhinestones and even came with a big huge proper hat box! Can't wait to wear it!
Anyway, so I checked out House of Randolph, 70 Allen St., hoping the cute fancy dresses in the window would be accompanied by hats. Irma, the owner, said she doesn't carry hats but did show me her gorgeous clothes "for us voluptuous women... the clothes are not for sticks." Really beautiful stuff and next time I need a fancy outfit, I'm going to try there first. As funky & cool as Allen Street Dress Shop is, they rarely have anything that fits me.
So I used the google machine to find "hats buffalo ny"... and I found Flashy Toppers
over on Jefferson Ave. Stunning hats!!! They've got men's and women's hats, flashy and subdued. Very fun, great service. They've got a coupon in the Buffalo First coupon book, too. My hat has sequins, lace, and rhinestones and even came with a big huge proper hat box! Can't wait to wear it!jenks - 11/01/09 20:56
good call- cleavage should never be hidden!
good call- cleavage should never be hidden!
heidi - 11/01/09 17:26
At the estrip party, Oscar the Grouch asked if I was a suffragist. It had crossed my mind but I hadn't focused on it until her question. I added a pin for Saturday night that read "Vote for the Woman Suffrage Amendment. Nov. 2nd, 1915" Very cool how the whole thing came together. I also ditched the cleavage-hiding scarf. ;-)
At the estrip party, Oscar the Grouch asked if I was a suffragist. It had crossed my mind but I hadn't focused on it until her question. I added a pin for Saturday night that read "Vote for the Woman Suffrage Amendment. Nov. 2nd, 1915" Very cool how the whole thing came together. I also ditched the cleavage-hiding scarf. ;-)
metalpeter - 10/30/09 18:05
Can't wait to see the costume tonight
Can't wait to see the costume tonight
dcoffee - 10/30/09 14:10
Oh boy! I can relate to the hat issues, my head is too big. See you tonight!
Oh boy! I can relate to the hat issues, my head is too big. See you tonight!
10/25/2009 20:08 #50116
Exploding brainI just had dinner with my Tioga County friend Liz (her activist blog: and her store website: ) and her gf Hannah at Falafel Bar as they were on their way home from a wedding in Denver. Two hours of intense brain sharing about everything from crazy friends to natural gas well drilling to the proposed closing of North Penn High School.
I guess I need to get some of my brain energy out before I can focus again...
The Southern Tioga school board is going to choose whether to renovate or close the high school I (and my parents, aunts & uncle) graduated from. Closing the high school would mean busing kids in grades 9-12 to the schools 10 miles north and south and renovating the elementary school into a pre-k to 8th grade facility. It's a $17M vs. $27M project according to the feasibility study, but it looks like there's a lot of waste/unnecessary stuff in the high school renovation part that is inflating the cost. I created a facebook fan page five days ago for "Save North Penn High School!" and already have 440 fans and my dad and few friends have asked me to create an ad in the free weekly classifieds paper to promote the cause. I don't have access to the feasibility study these proposals are based on, which prevents me from having solid substantive arguments. The best I've got so far is "closing NPHS will negatively impact educational outcomes for students" and "closing NP means the death of Bloss." It'll be interesting.
Liz has been focused on the impacts of natural gas well drilling that's happening all across PA. There was a massive fish kill a few weeks ago in a formerly healthy stream on the West Virginia-PA border caused by dumping of untreated hydraulic fracturing waste water into an abandoned deep coal mining hole. The West Virginia DEP-equivalent says that it caused by a naturally occurring golden algae bloom - exactly the same cause proposed by the responsible company - but the PA DEP says it's from the waste water and wants the company's US EPA permit revoked. NY has halted all drilling - smarties! She's set up an information session with our county planner (possibly retired - i forget) for tomorrow night. I'm hoping a lot of people will show up and learn about the environmental devastation that's happening elsewhere so that we can be on guard in Tioga County. Companies are already drilling and spilling the frac water - we're getting reports from the local DEP office - 8,000 gallons of this toxic stuff. I'm so frustrated that so many people haven't learned from the devastation of the mines - the Tioga River, which runs through Bloss, is a dead river because of acid mine drainage.
And now I must return to the grey and gloomy world of law school... someday I'll get paid for the analysis work and the resulting legal actions, right?
and her store website: ) and her gf Hannah at Falafel Bar as they were on their way home from a wedding in Denver. Two hours of intense brain sharing about everything from crazy friends to natural gas well drilling to the proposed closing of North Penn High School. I guess I need to get some of my brain energy out before I can focus again...
The Southern Tioga school board is going to choose whether to renovate or close the high school I (and my parents, aunts & uncle) graduated from. Closing the high school would mean busing kids in grades 9-12 to the schools 10 miles north and south and renovating the elementary school into a pre-k to 8th grade facility. It's a $17M vs. $27M project according to the feasibility study, but it looks like there's a lot of waste/unnecessary stuff in the high school renovation part that is inflating the cost. I created a facebook fan page five days ago for "Save North Penn High School!" and already have 440 fans and my dad and few friends have asked me to create an ad in the free weekly classifieds paper to promote the cause. I don't have access to the feasibility study these proposals are based on, which prevents me from having solid substantive arguments. The best I've got so far is "closing NPHS will negatively impact educational outcomes for students" and "closing NP means the death of Bloss." It'll be interesting.
Liz has been focused on the impacts of natural gas well drilling that's happening all across PA. There was a massive fish kill a few weeks ago in a formerly healthy stream on the West Virginia-PA border caused by dumping of untreated hydraulic fracturing waste water into an abandoned deep coal mining hole. The West Virginia DEP-equivalent says that it caused by a naturally occurring golden algae bloom - exactly the same cause proposed by the responsible company - but the PA DEP says it's from the waste water and wants the company's US EPA permit revoked. NY has halted all drilling - smarties! She's set up an information session with our county planner (possibly retired - i forget) for tomorrow night. I'm hoping a lot of people will show up and learn about the environmental devastation that's happening elsewhere so that we can be on guard in Tioga County. Companies are already drilling and spilling the frac water - we're getting reports from the local DEP office - 8,000 gallons of this toxic stuff. I'm so frustrated that so many people haven't learned from the devastation of the mines - the Tioga River, which runs through Bloss, is a dead river because of acid mine drainage.
And now I must return to the grey and gloomy world of law school... someday I'll get paid for the analysis work and the resulting legal actions, right?
heidi - 10/25/09 21:12
Yes, taxpayer money - in PA, schools are primarily financed with local property tax revenues, with the state contributing about 36 percent of funding across the state and the feds a very small percent (6%, maybe?). Because the population is sparse (36 people per square mile in the county), property taxes are quite high relative to the value of the properties.
I've asked for a copy of the feasibility study - we'll see if they'll give it to me... My guess it's available for "public inspection" by going to the school district office and asking. The PA Open Records law makes it necessarily public information, but they can also charge a hefty per-page copying fee. We'll see.
Unfortunately, I'm not a lawyer so I can't challenge it, and by the time I am, it'll be too late. However, in general, there's not a lot of citizen/public interest legal action happening in Tioga County partly because folks don't have the resources to file cases or know when its appropriate to file, and many lawyers don't want to challenge their friends - people in power. We're working on challenging the school board to listen to the residents - writing letters, attending school board meetings... but I don't know how effective it'll be. Really, I need more info before I can contribute much more.
Yes, taxpayer money - in PA, schools are primarily financed with local property tax revenues, with the state contributing about 36 percent of funding across the state and the feds a very small percent (6%, maybe?). Because the population is sparse (36 people per square mile in the county), property taxes are quite high relative to the value of the properties.
I've asked for a copy of the feasibility study - we'll see if they'll give it to me... My guess it's available for "public inspection" by going to the school district office and asking. The PA Open Records law makes it necessarily public information, but they can also charge a hefty per-page copying fee. We'll see.
Unfortunately, I'm not a lawyer so I can't challenge it, and by the time I am, it'll be too late. However, in general, there's not a lot of citizen/public interest legal action happening in Tioga County partly because folks don't have the resources to file cases or know when its appropriate to file, and many lawyers don't want to challenge their friends - people in power. We're working on challenging the school board to listen to the residents - writing letters, attending school board meetings... but I don't know how effective it'll be. Really, I need more info before I can contribute much more.
tinypliny - 10/25/09 20:52
But I don't understand. If the feasibility study was conducted to evaluate the alternatives to spend public money (I assume this is taxpayer money, yes?), it should be availably publicly for all to see and assess for themselves. Wasn't there a public debate about this? Why isn't there a public challenge/case in court yet if this many people from the community strong against the option they are considering?
But I don't understand. If the feasibility study was conducted to evaluate the alternatives to spend public money (I assume this is taxpayer money, yes?), it should be availably publicly for all to see and assess for themselves. Wasn't there a public debate about this? Why isn't there a public challenge/case in court yet if this many people from the community strong against the option they are considering?
our food system is insane. I think stuff like this makes sense. Why do we subsidize corn syrup instead of healthy stuff?
Great Article. It is more then just about one kind of sickness. (maybe I listen to Bill Maher to much) But the stuff we eat if it doesn't make us sick directly it sure contributes. One could write another article on Heart Disease. I think another problem is Drugs. I love Alcohol but it does a lot of nasty stuff like lower the strength of your immune system and a bunch of other stuff. But see in this country we will all ways be taught to deal with things through drugs. Hey if that went away then why get cold medicine when you are sick, or get a script of something to make you happy. So I think it is also a battle with drug companies. I think education is key to all of this, and real education. Is it true that Oranges aren't really orange that a dye makes them that color? That can't be good. I love Sobe Life water is that good or bad, water plus Vitamins but it has sugar. What about low fat stuff? Hey it tastes about the same as the stuff with fat but what is worse the fat or the chemicals that make it low in fat? It is easy to say people should eat better but a lot of people, or just maybe me doesn't really know what that means. One last example Chinesse food, looks healthy and Tastes good. MSG is bad but I thought it doesn't have it any more so then how does it taste the same?
Same thing with Tobacco and child health care.