It appears that his problems with the brain tumor are “dire” and so Robert Novak has announced that he is retiring.
Best of luck in his medical treatment, but he improves journalism in the US generally, and inside the Beltway particularly, through his absence.
Allegedly non-cancerous, but this is at least the 2nd procedure he has had done for something like this in 2008.
Absent any evidence that this is some sort of attempt to avoid criminal or civil liability on his hit and run, I will take this report at face value.
Best wishes to his family.
The Republicans are holding up a Medicare funding plan which reduces subsidies to private insurers offering “Medicare Advantage” in order to raise doctors fees in the stand, and the AMA is taking out ads targeting the Republicans opposing this.
You see the Republicans believe that they only way to bring efficiency to the medical market is to bring in private enterprise, but private enterprise is much less efficient than basic Medicare, so they need subsidies to compete.
The reality is that the Medicare advantage program is about two things:
Bush is promising a veto, and doctors are already shutting down practices or no longer accepting new Medicare patients, so this will get ugly quickly.
If the Dems have any brains, they will fold their arms, and say, “this is the deal”, and let the Republicans founder.
No doubt the verdict will be amended on repeal, but the fact that the jury dismissed their bullsh^% claims of “excited delirium” is a good start.
Using a Taser is less lethal than a gun, but it should still be treated as deadly force, and Taser International’s attempts to flog a non-existent medical condition to avoid liability is revolting.
Best wishes to the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts.
For lethargy and a mild fever. He’s 90, and you have to be careful about such things.
Word is that he will start chemo today.
On the radio, so sorry, no link, but Kennedy will undergo brain surgery at Duke medical center, and then get chemo and radiation at Mass General
It appears that he will be convalescing. I’m not sure what this means in terms of his prognosis.
Though the title of the story, McCain appears cancer-free, healthy, would imply otherwise.
McCain’s most recent exams show a range of health issues common in aging: He frequently has precancerous skin lesions removed, and in February had an early stage squamous cell carcinoma, an easily cured skin cancer, removed. He had benign colon growths called polyps taken out during a routine colonoscopy in March.
There’s a campaign slogan: John McCain: Cancer Free Since February.
The campaign just made McCain’s medical records available:
If I had something to conceal, and knew that I had to release something, this is how I would do it. If you have a problem, even seemingly innocuous records can show a red flag, but if you have non-medical political reporters who have about 90 seconds to review a page, those flags get missed.
Malignant glioma. Damn.
He’s in hospital undergoing tests.
No word yet, but it appears not to be a stroke.
The SEIU-UHW has, over the past 10 years, negociated contracts with nearly 200 hospitals and nursing homes in california so that they expire all at the same time.
This means that they can negotiate with all the institutions at once, and that if any one of them cut a contract, they can use it for pattern bargaining, and that in the event of a strike, the institutions in question cannot simply shift resources to institutions that are not struck.
This is a very savvy move.
Full press release follows:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 11, 2007WORKERS PREPARE FOR LARGEST COORDINATED HEALTHCARE BARGAINING CAMPAIGN IN HISTORY
Event Bringing Together Caregivers from Several States to be Covered by Blogger
OAKLAND — A delegation of 700 healthcare workers from six states will gather in Oakland on Saturday to plan for a coordinated bargaining campaign in 2008, when contracts at more than 200 hospitals and nursing homes will expire, creating an opportunity for caregivers to achieve unprecedented victories for working people across the United States.
The convention in California, to be hosted by SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West, represents the first time that healthcare workers will coordinate their bargaining campaigns on such a massive scale. Caregivers from California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Minnesota and Connecticut will participate in the event.
“This meeting represents an unprecedented opportunity for healthcare workers from around the country to work together for improved standards such as the right to stand up for our patients and residents,” said Sal Rosselli, president of SEIU UHW. “Healthcare workers do the same work everywhere in the country, and it only makes sense that we come together to work toward our common goal.”
Healthcare workers at several SEIU local unions plan to coordinate their bargaining campaigns next year, in order to maximize their ability to improve quality care for their patients, raise industry standards and win a voice on the job. More than 150,000 caregivers will benefit from this coordination by achieving the ability to advocate for improved patient care through their union.
Adding a unique twist to the proceedings will be the presence of netroots blogger Elliott Petty of the progressive online California group Courage Campaign, who plans to post live updates to his site, http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/blog/elliottpetty, as the meeting progresses through the day. He will also post at MyDD and Open Left, two major national political blogs.
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to observe, participate, and interact with UHW’s members at this meeting,” Petty said. “The best way to build bridges between labor and the online communities is to engage in actions with each other. Progressives win when we are united, which this effort will help us to be.”
Petty’s participation is an outgrowth of UHW’s involvement with the YearlyKos convention earlier this month, in which UHW leaders met with numerous members of the progressive blogosphere to discuss ways that their online activism can dovetail with the grassroots worker and political organizing of labor unions. The union plans to hold a retreat for progressive bloggers in the fall.
“Our values of member democracy, openness, and dialogue and debate are mirrored by those of the netroots community,” Rosselli said. “We look forward to continuing to work with online activists who share our goals and values.”
Rosselli and several healthcare workers will be available for interview throughout the week and on Saturday.
The 140,000-member SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West is the largest hospital and healthcare union in the western United States and represents every type of healthcare worker, including nurses, professional, technical and service classifications. Our mission is to achieve high-quality healthcare for all.
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SEIU United Healthcare Workers—West, with more than 152,000 members, is the largest and most powerful hospital and healthcare union in the Western U.S. We represent every type of healthcare worker, including nursing, professional, technical and service classifications. Our mission is to achieve high quality healthcare for all.
A while ago, I posted that there was an H5N1 fatality without evidence of poultry contact.
Now the father of the victim is ill and tests positive.
Of interest is that the 24 year old son died before the 52 year old father. I wonder if this indicates a “cytokine storm”, which was why the 1918 flu killed young adults more than the very old or young, as is the norm.
Local animal husbandry and veterinary officials say they haven’t found evidence of an avian flu epidemic in Jiangsu Province, the report said.
So it looks like it came from something, or possibly someone other than birds.
Not good.
Here.
Think twice before implanting the chips in your kids. For that matter, absent a life threatening situation that needs round the clock tracking, like severe drug abuse, it’s just plain wrong even if there is not a cancer risk.
Kids sometimes have to be left to their own devices.