Japan Continues to be Harmed by the Earthquake

Even after the 9.0 earthquake hit Japan, the tsunamis, and the nuclear meltdown, there are still an increasing amount of problems with the food supply and farm-able land. The surrounding area of a few hundred miles around the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex was and is still being hit hard by radiation released by the plant. It is reported that spinach plants many miles south contain 7x the legal limit of radiation and milk from cows in the Fukushima province containing 5x the legal limit. The radiation is also said to have entered the food chain when it enters the northern pacific ocean, contaminating the fish. Fox news reports,

Japanese foods make up less than 4 percent of all U.S. imports, and the FDA said it expects no risk to the U.S. food supply from radiation. Officials and health experts say the doses are low and not a threat to human health unless the tainted products are consumed in abnormally excessive quantities.

Still, the World Health Organization said this week that Japan should act quickly to ensure that no contaminated foods are sold. The most common imports from Japan to the United States are seafood, snack foods, and processed fruits and vegetables.

 This situation must be frightening for millions that have Japanese food imported, however, I feel reassured that American and Japanese officials are making sure that the radiation does not affect us. This is definitely bad for Japan's economy, even more so that it is presently, because much of it's food is not being sold because of radiation poisoning or because of fear. They need more foreign currency now more than ever.

Mental Health Break

Republicans introduce legislation to redefine Pi as 3. Not as the difficult 3.1415... number.

"It's no panacea, but this legislation will point us in the right direction. Looking at hard data, we know our children are struggling with a heck of a lot of the math, including the geometry incorporating pi," Roby said. "I guarantee you American scores will go up once pi is 3. It will be so much easier."

I understand where the republicans are coming from.

Budget Cuts Affect Mental Health

32 states and Washington D.C. have been dramatically cutting budgets for mental health services. This process brings in billions of dollars, but it also crowds prisons, emergency rooms, and dangers the public. The additional savings may be used again for more prison space and additional treatment. The Washington Post quotes;

California slashed funding by more than $587 million, or 16 percent. Kentucky gutted its mental health budget by an astounding 47 percent over the last two years.
In many states, the picture is likely to get uglier for those relying on state mental services. Starting this summer, some $87 billion in federal stimulus money for Medicaid assistance to the states starts drying up. Because virtually all Medicaid-funded mental health services are optional, states projecting another couple years of budget deficits are likely to chop mental health services further.

For one, I want to see mental patients being treated and cared for rather than let on the streets. Secondly, I want to see less money wasted by changing the game plan for health services. I don't think the Obamacare bill will come into affect the way it is in the next few years, but a for of it will be a step forwards in assisting the mental health of millions of patients. The article ends with;

Mental health advocates hope that the federal health care overhaul taking effect after 2014 will help add services for the mentally ill - but their hopes are dim that things will get better before then.

I side with the health advocates on this one, in hope that funding will improve for mental health services.

NYC Teen Faces 2 Years

In NYC, a 19 year old choked and threw a sibling's 4 ounce hamster. She is facing a felony charge and was arrested Tuesday night. Msnbc reports;

The 19-year-old is accused of choking and squeezing the 4-ounce hamster and throwing it on the floor. It was then thrown across the street, though a necropsy concluded the animal was probably already dead by the time that happened.
Pentangelo says the charges include aggravated cruelty to animals and child endangerment. He says three children witnessed the hamster's demise.

The charges are outrageous, and I feel that our justice system has better things to worry about. Granted, the 19 year old probably needs some mental help, but killing a hamster of a 9 year old sibling and being charged is outrageous. I cant help but laugh and shake my head at the same time at this arrest.

Premature Births Drugs Outrageously Priced

The price of preventing preterm babies is about to go through the roof because of KV Pharmaceutical has sole ownership of a drug. This form of progesterone cost $10 to $20 per injection, but now may cost $1,500 per injection ($30,000 per pregnancy). This outrageous hike in price occurred when KV won approval to sell the drug as opposed to special pharmacies that were not federally approved. A few doctors responded to the drug's new price;

"That's a huge increase for something that can't be costing them that much to make. For crying out loud, this is about making money," said Dr. Roger Snow, deputy medical director for Massachusetts' Medicaid program.
"I've never seen anything as outrageous as this," said Dr. Arnold Cohen, an obstetrician at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.

The pros of KV owning the rights to the drug is that it is better regulated and is safer, but this includes the outrageous price increase. Even if insurance covers the prices, I still don't agree with the price, nor do many other people. It is obvious most women can not afford this treatment, even so, KV has not dropped the price. This is just another negative view of America's medical providers.

Wisconsin Senate Separated

The Senate in Wisconsin has passed the bill to end state workers' collective bargaining rights. Even with all the democrats gone from the meeting, the republicans still managed to pass the bill, causing unrest and protests. Fox News reports on this;

All 14 Senate Democrats fled to Illinois nearly three weeks ago, preventing the chamber from having enough members present to consider Gov. Scott Walker's so-called "budget repair bill" -- a proposal introduced to plug a $137 million budget shortfall.. 

The Senate requires a quorum to take up any measures that spend money. But Republicans on Wednesday split from the legislation the proposal to curtail union rights, and a special conference committee of state lawmakers approved that bill a short time later.

The republicans are strong to cut many measures that spend money. This bill was included in this quorum and has passes even with obvious opposition. The bill was passed hastily and completely ignored the democrats. I'm not sure if the democrats would do this if they were in the same position, but passing such a bill is quite shady. We will see how this goes when the democrats choose to come back.

Mental Health Break

Caution, may contain a bit of offensive material. However, this is very funny.