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02 Apr 2010 19:00

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Biz: Florida’s housing boom, brought to you by crappy Chinese drywall

  • 3,000+ complaints have been filed
    about poor quality, hydrogen
    sulfide-loaded drywall from China;
    the drywall corroded wires and
    made people sick
  • 80% of those complaints are from
    Florida (which once had a housing
    boom) and Louisiana (which rebuilt
    a lot of homes after Hurricane
    Katrina) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Mar 2010 23:01

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U.S.: Study: Kidney-selling shouldn’t be limited to the black market

  • 106k number of people currently on waiting lists for a new organ, mostly kidneys
  • 92% of people who die yearly waiting for organs they were waiting for others to donate
  • $$$ what could encourage more organ donations for people who need them source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Mar 2010 11:03

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U.S.: Hey, heart pill user: Your nitroglycerin probably wasn’t tested

  • 80% of prescribed nitroglycerin had no FDA testing source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Mar 2010 20:57

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U.S.: How young is too young for major weight-loss surgery, anyway?

  • I want to be able to run. I haven’t been able to run since I was 5 years old. … I just want to be normal.
  • 14-year-old Maria Caprigno • Regarding her decision to go under the knife for purposes of losing weight. Caprigno, who weighs over 400 pounds even after losing 45, says that many of her weight problems come from a mix of genes (her parents are also overweight), couch potato status, and overeating. But the gastrectomy surgery she got, which involved removing much of her stomach, is often used on people three times her age (or older). Her doctor, though, claims holding back the surgery would have been unethical. “Her BMI [body mass index], which is a measurement we use to determine how obese someone is, put her in the highest risk category,” said Dr. Evan Nadler. “Not just morbidly obese, but two categories higher than that.” Holy crap. We’re glad she got help. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Mar 2010 20:42

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U.S.: Thousands of Ground Zero cleanup workers get insurance settlement

  • 10k number of defendants in the World Trade Center cleanup case; they claimed the cleanup damaged their health
  • $657M the amount defendants will get in a settlement;
    the money will come
    from a $1.1 billion
    insurance fund
  • $65k the amount that sum means for each defendant (not counting lawyer fees and other costs, of course) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Mar 2010 12:18

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U.S.: D.C. takes a groundbreaking step in the fight against HIV

  • 500,000 free female condoms source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Mar 2010 20:31

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U.S.: A common flavor-enhancer just got recalled for salmonella. Yikes.

  • 50 foods that contain hydrolyzed vegetable protein recalled source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

03 Mar 2010 20:56

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U.S.: Hey mom! Kids are craving more snacks! Give them sugar!

  • 27% of children’s calories now come from eating junk food like chips and snacks
  • 168 number of snack calories added to childrens’ daily diets since 1977, which sounds tasty
  • 13½ number of pounds that fattening addition to their diets means each year; mmm source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Feb 2010 10:23

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Politics: Health Care 2.0: Now the debate begins on Twitter



Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2010 21:55

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Culture: Dear Roger Ebert: You’re awesome. Esquire is awesome, too.

  • This is Roger Ebert. He’s not looking like he did during his heyday, worn away by thyroid cancer. But even though he can’t speak, eat or drink due to the removal of his jaw, he’s still an amazing personality, something his blog (and this immaculate Esquire profile) emphasizes. He’s put on a brave face despite what’s happened to him, and it speaks volumes of him that he’s still a vibrant human being despite his condition. You rule, Roger. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 
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