“Amid the shrill cries that the sky is falling on senior citizens comes news on how Medicare beneficiaries view their new prescription drug benefit. According to two recent surveys, conducted on behalf of America’s Health Insurance Plans, of more than 800 randomly selected seniors enrolled in the Medicare drug benefit, 84 percent who signed up […]
“Few industries are more demonized than Big Tobacco. From the barrage of anti-smoking education in public schools to the ‘Truth’ ads that seem ubiquitous on teen-friendly networks like MTV, cigarette companies lead the line-up of oil executives, pharmaceutical companies, and gun manufacturers in helping to perform the role of Corporate Monster — easy, go-to villains […]
“In the intellectual battle for liberty, sometimes it’s a good idea to skip the latest high-brow attack on capitalism from the Left or Right and instead poke fun at a ridiculous news article. A recent AP story, ‘Scientists in food fight over soda,’ provides a perfect target. The article begins by informing us of new […]
“There’s nothing new about taking in fewer calories to lose weight. What is new in fighting the battle of the bulge is a diet weapon that reduces calorie intake by managing hunger. — It’s called ’satiety.’ Not exactly a word that rolls off your tongue (pronounced ’sa-TIE-atee’). It’s a diet and nutrition buzzword for the […]
“With summer just around the corner, lawsuits filed Thursday accuse sunscreen makers of exposing millions of people to cancer and other dangers through false and misleading claims about the effectiveness of their products. The nine suits — involving some of the most popular brands, including Coppertone, Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic, Bullfrog and Neutrogena — charge […]
“You don’t want to be an April fool — or any kind of fool — when it comes to your health. Yes, those old wives knew a thing or two, but they never went to medical school or conducted a scientific study. Are you sure you know the answers to the following? 1: Chewing gum […]
“New research suggests that the number of fresh HIV infections in the world appears to have peaked, according to a report by leading AIDS researchers published today in the British health journal The Lancet. They cited evidence including a study, also published today, that indicated that the number of pregnant women infected with HIV in […]
“An experimental vaccine against H5N1 bird flu only appears to work at the very highest doses, meaning it will be harder than feared to protect the population against a pandemic, researchers said on Wednesday. The vaccine, made by a unit of Sanofi-Aventis and based on an H5N1 virus that killed a Vietnamese man in 2004, […]
“There is wonderment in some countries where student test scores are higher than those in the United States : ‘Our students test well, but when they are out of school, they don’t do as well in life.’ I think I know at least some of the reasons. They include the usual suspects that we have […]
“Remember, education today is primarily a commodity (credits, grades, degrees, fun, etc.). This means that education, good or bad, is something that’s bought, sold, and peddled. Learning, on the other hand, is a physical activity performed by flesh and blood human beings who spend their personal-best time reading books, memorizing vocabulary, learning poems by heart, […]
