“It’s the state of America now that is the most gripping source of anxiety for Americans, not Al Qaeda or Iraq. Anyone who thinks they are going to win this election playing the Iraq or the terrorism card — one way or another — is, in my view, seriously deluded. Things have changed.”
- Thomas Friedman, [...]

Some surprising data here, but what’s not surprising is that the economy is at the very top of the priority list. And that has to be good news for Obama since he has such a wide lead.
Energy, Gas Prices - extremely important to 51%
Obama - 47%
McCain - 28%
Economy - extremely important to 49%
Obama - 48%
McCain [...]

From MSNBC:

As stated, chemotherapy and radiation will come after this. There’s a long road ahead yet, but this is encouraging news after we heard last week that the tumor was inoperable.
More as it develops…

The title says it all.
USA Today has the details:
More than 43,000 U.S. troops listed as medically unfit for combat in the weeks before their scheduled deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003 were sent anyway, Pentagon records show.
This reliance on troops found medically “non-deployable” is another sign of stress placed on a military that has [...]

John McCain has finally released a healthcare plan. But is it any good?
First, before getting into the details, let’s look at what McCain is trying to achieve. He wants a system that does not rely on employer controlled health insurance but allows each individual to choose a fully portable plan that fits their specific needs [...]

From the AP:
The killings of three U.S. soldiers in separate attacks in Baghdad pushed the American death toll for April up to 47, making it the deadliest month since September.
One soldier died when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb. The other died of wounds sustained when he was attacked by small-arms fire, the [...]

After numerous years of debate and general inaction, it looks like Congress is set to pass a bill banning genetic discrimination. The bill is expected to be signed by the president.
This is good news. What the law will do is ban employers and insurance companies from using someone’s DNA profile to deny him or [...]

To be fair, I haven’t read My Beautiful Mommy, but still…that title is pretty bad.
If this is just a book about the idea that “mommy” is going to have some work done and how to explain it to a kid, that’s one thing. But if it’s more of a story about “transformation” from normal [...]

I saw this in the comments from my post today, Nearly 1 In 5 Soldiers Have PTSD:
I’m the Vet who contacted Carissa Piccard and Liz Dozier at CBS. Jonathan & I talked for over an hour today. He agrees that both Carissa & Liz totally rock. So do I - in spades. Jonathan is still [...]

From AP:
A recently completed survey showed 18.5% — or 300,000 people — said they have symptoms of depression or PTSD, the researchers said. Nineteen% — or 320,000 — suffered head injuries ranging from mild concussions to penetrating head wounds. [...]
The 500-page study is the first large-scale, private assessment of its kind — including a survey [...]

From IHT:
The drug maker Merck drafted dozens of research studies for a best-selling drug, then lined up prestigious doctors to put their names on the reports before publication, according to an article to be published Wednesday in a leading medical journal.
The article, based on documents unearthed in lawsuits over the pain drug Vioxx, provides a [...]

Public Policy Polling has the numbers (pdf file)…
After a week in which both candidates spent a lot of time in North Carolina Barack Obama has retained a large lead in the state, according to the newest survey from Public Policy Polling.
Obama leads Clinton 54-36. His lead is particularly strong among likely voters who do not [...]

Looks like they’re offering $4M in grants to therapies like yoga, Reiki, Qi gong, spiritual ministry and transcendental meditation.
Groovy…
From Wired:
As many as 17 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have some form of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, one congressional study estimates. Nearly 3,300 troops have suffered traumatic brain injury, or TBI, according to statistics [...]

An overwhelming majority of Americans thinks so.
From CNN:
In the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll conducted last weekend, 71 percent said they think U.S. spending in Iraq is a reason for the nation’s poor economy. Twenty-eight percent said they didn’t think so.
The weekend poll, timed to coincide with the Iraq war’s fifth anniversary, also showed little U.S. [...]

What did he find?
Well, that he couldn’t go the market he visited a year ago because it wasn’t safe enough. He also found a country that’s still teetering on the brink of chaos because of the lack of political progress by Iraqi politicians.

Question: will the war be a main issue this fall or will [...]

As a John McCain supporter, I know he has an uphill battle. He can’t afford many missteps and will have to work hard to convince voters that he offers change from a better and more sensible position. As he moves into the general election, he’s going to have to buttress issues that were of less [...]

This is the latest mailer from the Hillary campaign, and let me just say…GREAT question.
Personally, I don’t think that Asian guy deserves it. He looks pretty healthy, plus he’s kind of smug so no health care for him. And what about that young white guy or the young white gal? I’m sure they can get [...]

Yes, Billary is back on the stump telling people that Obama’s plan doesn’t cover everybody, that it’ll deny us health care, etc.
Ugh…
“Her opponent excites more Americans … but would in fact deny us universal health-care coverage for the first time,” the former president said. “She represents the solution business.”…
“It would be truly tragic if the [...]

Why? Because the Democratic legislature thought it cost way too much. Interesting twist, no?
The question I have is if California can’t pass it, will this spell doom for a national healthcare initiative?
From WSJ:
The idea was that Mr. Schwarzenegger would set a national precedent, leading to a groundswell for reform in Washington. Not to mention that [...]

It wouldn’t surprise me, and if it’s the case, something needs to be done.
From Science Daily:
A new study by two York University researchers estimates the U.S. pharmaceutical industry spends almost twice as much on promotion as it does on research and development, contrary to the industry’s claim.
The researchers’ estimate is based on the systematic [...]