July 2012
24 posts
“Despite the near-panic that broke out in Democratic circles a few weeks ago when Romney drew even in some national polls, Obama has remained the betting market’s choice. At Intrade, the online prediction site, the implied probability of an Obama victory is about fifty-six per cent. Interestingly, at Ladbrokes, the British bookie, he is a firmer favorite: the odds on him winning are 8-15. (Bet a hundred and fifty dollars to win eighty dollars.)”
—Obama’s Campaign Strategy is Paying Off After Health-Care Ruling : The New Yorker
“Perry joins other GOP governors — including Florida’s Rick Scott, South Carolina’s Nikki Haley and Wisconsin’s Scott Walker — in refusing to implement the Affordable Care Act. The Supreme Court upheld the law but said the federal government may not cut off a state’s Medicaid funds if they turn down the expansion. If a state refuses to set up the insurance market exchanges, the federal government does it for them.”
—In Loss For Texans, Gov. Rick Perry Refuses To Implement ‘Obamacare’ | TPMDC (via Kieran Healy; well done Texas for getting the double benefit of having the federal government do all the work for you on exchange markets, while reaping the political seeds of the not-in-our-name operation)
“This commentary argues that there are three major crises confronting global health: ongoing financial crises; deepening ecological crises; and rapidly escalating income and wealth inequalities within and between nations. Global rhetorical responses to these crises frequently invoke policy sentiments similar to those advised by the 2008 WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH). However, actual policy decisions run counter to the evidence reviewed by the Commission, and its final report recommendations. Failure to re-regulate financial capitalism, introduce regulatory standards for transnational companies, or subordinate trade and investment liberalization treaties to development goals and human rights treaties will exacerbate global health inequities into the future. More positively, there is increasing support for systems of global taxation. The challenge for global health, however, will remain the willingness of states to make domestic and foreign policy choices that strengthen income redistribution, economic regulation, and citizen rights.”
—Access : Commentary: Global action on social determinants of health : Journal of Public Health Policy
Breast Cancer Index predicts pathological complete response and eligibility for breast conserving surgery in breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy →
annonc.oxfordjournals.org
srqm:
Co-author of study is bioTheranostics, the company that crafted the Index.
“First, some basic math. In the middle of most semesters there’s a one-week break. Mark off eight weeks before and eight weeks after that break. The resulting 17-week period (including the break) should now begin at around the start of the semester and conclude near the end. 16 weeks of 5 working days each is 80 days. If you imagine writing for three hours a day, that gives you 240 hours. Let that be the maximum limit. Try to appreciate the finitude of the problem.”
—Research as a Second Language: 16 Weeks (every student has to read this)
“What we’re going through now is a systematic downgrading, if not destruction, of civil society in England with a de-layering of structures and organisations and, at the same time, a huge amount of responsibility being handed to the local level, especially to local authorities, at the same time as their budgets are being cut,” he points out.”
—‘Financial austerity is being used to dismantle the state’ | Society | The Guardian
“If you work in public health in England you might be forgiven for not recognising the following sentence: “We are recognising and acting on the effects which employment, education, housing, and the environment have on health outcomes.” I could point to the ending of the highly successful Healthy Schools programme, and Jamie Oliver might have something to say on school meal standards. That’s without getting into the growth in unemployment, cuts in educational allowances and housing benefits, and the failure to deliver promises about being the “greenest government ever.” According to a YouGov poll only 2% of the population believe the UK has the “greenest government ever;” and the people are right.”
—BMJ Group blogs: BMJ » Blog Archive » Gabriel Scally on Andrew Lansley’s Geneva fantasy at the World Health Assembly
