They Lie to Us All the Time

An interesting little blip of news of some import happened yesterday and the tap dancing has begun. It was such a little blip that it got about 30 seconds on the World News Webcast yesterday. Only about 10 seconds was the news item and the rest was the beginning shuffle.

Seems they (don't you always wonder how they is) now think that all this cancer screening is accomplishing nothing. This seems especially true for the dreaded manugram and prostrate cancer screening. First shuffle was by the American Cancer Society which rushed to assure us that such tests do find early stage cancers.

The problems seem to be in what doctors advise their patients do do about these little bumps that may be totally unnecessary and indeed harmful. This is one step closer to those of us that believe the tests themselves can be harmful if for no other reason than we turn control of our bodis over to alien lifeforms with strange apparatuses. And screening constantly for ovarian cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, and now thyroid cancer develops a cancer consciousness that cannot be health. What we hold in mind we create in body.

Moreover while all these appointments for these annual tests obviously help pay the Mercedes payments it makes it very difficult to see a doctor if you really have a concern about your body. Gynocologists are scheduled months in advance just to cover the routine screenings. Try getting a quick appointment when your breast self-exam actually reveals a lump which concerns you.

And new research is questioning the advisibility of removing tumors. Seems many cancers generate a chemical which prevent the growth of others. And prostrate cancer is often so very slow growing the host would not know about it except for the test and would likely die of natural causes before it killed him. And even John Hopkins has questioned the common treatments of radiation and chemotherapy because they break down our immune systems when they need to most be built up.

So maybe it is time to kick the medical community out of our bodies and return control to the owners. Time to get back in touch with yourself and pay attention to your body and its workings and only see the doctor when you believe something just may be wrong. Tune into your Chakras from time to time. Exhibit some control over what you eat and drink. Take a walk on a regular basis and drink in the beauty around you.

Thought I would mention, since this is essentially a political blog, that this news about the excessive cancer screening followed by sometimes unnecessary and excessive treatments might have a profound effect on reducing the cost of universal health care reform. Might make it amazingly affordable if we all took some responsibility for our own health and wellbeing.

He does say it best

So I am going to let him say it.

The Nobel Peace Prize

It is been a longer period than usual between blogs here. And I have noticed on political blogs I follow that the same can be said.

It is hard to write another blog about the health care debate when it is just more about the spiteful lies of the opposition. What more can be said about Iran which has not been covered to ad nauseam for over two decades? Or Afghanistan for that matter. No country has ever been able to win a war there.

The economy is looking better but we all want the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and we want it now. We are adults and should know that is not going to happen. But now we blame Obama for the mess he inherited from his predecessor.

Poor President Obama. He took over the reins on a nest of worms from G.W. Bush and he has been expected to turn it into a bed of roses over night. But there are areas in which has made huge strides. The world loves us now. Or at least tolerates us. After eight years of being loathed that is quite nice frankly.

Today the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to him. The Nobel committee praised Obama's creation of "a new climate in international politics." Obama, they said, had returned multilateral diplomacy and institutions like the U.N. to the center of the world stage. The 2009 prize appeared intended to support initiatives that have yet to bear fruit: reducing the world stock of nuclear arms, easing American conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthening the U.S. role in combating climate change.

"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Nobel Committee said. "In the past year Obama has been a key person for important initiatives in the U.N. for nuclear disarmament and to set a completely new agenda for the Muslim world and East-West relations."

I think it is wise to take a lesson from this. Now is the time for all of us to stop whining about what has not been achieved in this very young presidency and acknowledge the progress made at least on the world stage if not within our own borders. Stop yelling and pointing fingers. If you are not part of the solution to a kinder and gentler world you are part of the problem.

And as an example of what communications rather than cowboy diplomacy can accomplish we have our President, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. How about some peace here in the United States on issues like health care?

The New Economy - Funding in Schools

Today's blog is going to be all questions and probably no answers. I ran into these questions because I am a member of the board of Moreno Valley Arts Council and part of our stated purpose to provide art enrichment in the schools in our neck of the woods. We do this by paying professional artists to spend a day teaching in the three schools in our area.

The charter high school recently asked us to triple our "involvement" in their arts program by funding a "road trip" to a theater competition where not only will the school be vying for awards but the students participating have the chance of getting scholarships.

Needless to say the proposal garnered some spirited e-mails (vote was required before our next scheduled in person meeting). And in the course of that debate it became clear because of cuts in funds in the school (this always gets taken out of "elective" or art funds) we would be getting more such requests.

The gross receipts tax or "sales tax" was begun originally as a way to fund schools. People are buying less ergo less sales tax and ergo less funds for schools. Some counties and states also partly fund schools through property taxes and bond issues. With more foreclosures I can only imagine there are less taxes being paid. Less new houses means less new property taxes. And hard strapped citizens in these trying economic times are not voting for new bond issues.

I had the advantage or disadvantage of going to schools in multiple states because my father was in the military. And most schools were decidedly no frills. Physical ed teacher was lucky to have balls and bats, arts education was paper mache and construction paper (I believe even then we bought our own paste), and music was most often choir. Band and band instruments did not appear until high school and parents provided my brother's coronet. Dad was considered a band supporter because he had access through work to a copier and made copies of sheet music. Special projects generally required a note asking parents for contributions in money or materials.

It would appear we are going back to those times, but parents have become used to schools and non-profit organizations such as MVAC to assist in these matters. Are we going to be able to do that? Is it time for the students to participate more fully in raising extra funds through talent shows and bake sales? There is much to be learned through fund raising activities. It forms a sense of group with common purpose and gets you away from the television.

I think arts and music and theater are very important. And they are not as expensive as having a football team and a bus to take you all around the state to play a game. If funds are going to be cut maybe we need to ask how important is football? Only 11 people get to play at a time. You can involve a lot students more constructively by putting on a play, building a stage set, prowing the thrift stores for costumes, reviewing music and producing a tape for the sound effects, etc.