Women's Health Report 2010

The latest "health report card" on women's health was recently released. The report revealed that more women are drinking heavily, and fewer are being tested for cervical cancer. New York Times journalist Roni Caryn Rabin reported that "Over all, more women are obese, diabetic and hypertensive than just a few years ago, and more are testing positive for chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease linked to infertility." Rabin also included that "78 percent of women ages 18 to 64 had a pap smear in the last three years, down from 84.8 percent in 2007." Although the number of people screened for high cholesterol has improved along with the fact that less women are smoking and dying from stroke, obesity is on the rise, and will continue to be on the rise if something isn't done. Why is this happening? Probably because in such a time of societal and economic strife, people, namely women, are looking for some source of comfort in their chaotic lives. I believe that if people are taught portion control and stick by Aristotle's idea of "Everything in Moderation," then the binge drinking, diabetes and hopefully the diagnoses of chlamydia will go down significantly.

For more information:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/health/research/09women.html?_r=1&ref=health

By Sarah Fulton

Boy shot in hunting accident

In the Times Herald Record an article "Boy shot in hunting accident," by Heather Yakin is about a 9 year old boy that was shot in the stomach while helping drive deer to a hunter. The boy was airlifted to the hospital and is in serious condition. Yakin stated "The accident occurred one day before the close of deer season; the season had, before Saturday, been free of shooting accidents since it began on November 20th, according to DEC officials." The hunter who is from Pennsylvania was charged with a felony of first degree reckless endangerment and several violations. According to Yakin, "...the shooter was was being held in Orange County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail or $75,000 bond."

By Gina Hughes

Wal-Mart Tries Again for New York City Store

In a New York Times article "Wal-Mart Tries Again for New York City Store," by Elizabeth Harris talks about how they are trying to get a Wal-Mart in New York City. Wal-Mart seems to be everywhere, except in New York City. Harris says "Wal-Mart, an inescapable part of the retail landscape just about everywhere except in New York City, twice retreated on efforts to open stores in the city after fierce community opposition." This is not going to be an easy task for them to find public support for opening up a Wal-Mart in New York City. "According to Harris, "The renewed push by Wal-Mart comes five years after the retailer tried to open stores in Queens and Staten Island but faced furious opposition from community leaders and elected officials." One of the positives that would come out of putting a Wal-Mart in New York City is that it would help bring jobs to the area. Which would be a huge help since there are so many people out of work. Harris states, "Wal-Mart is the country’s largest private employer, with 1.4 million workers, but it has been a constant target for labor groups who say its wages are too low and its benefits insufficient." One of the biggest downfalls of having a Wal-Mart in New York City would be that it would put alot of small business out of business. So while it may bring jobs to the area it may also put more people out of business and cause them to be unemployed. Will we see a Wal-Mart go up in New York City, who knows. There are alot of people that are against this, especially the community. What will happen, we will have to wait and see.

by Gina Hughes

Unemployment By Zach Ciraolo

A huge epidemic now a days in the United States is that of Unemployment! Numbers raising up to an area not seen since the depression, double digits. People go out and compete for jobs it is the way this country has worked since the beginning. But when there are no jobs to compete for, then what happens? Recession that is what happens! It almost is inevitable in this type of situation our economy and we as a whole are going through. Yet, there are advantages to unemployment but they are towered over by disadvantages. And as well, unemployment is sometimes more then other taken advantage you. Think about it; why go out and get a job when you can sit home, go out, have all the free time in the world and get paid for it? None the less now due to the signing of new legislation for an extra 13 months added on to 91 weeks which is what it was at prior to the new law! Though at the same time it takes tolls on peoples lives, sends many into stages of depressions, and just makes people feel According to Leigha butler the rug was pulled out from beneath my feet. It can happen within a blink of an eye, so as they always say, prepare yourself for the worse. Especially since the 2.6 million people out of work did not, we must all learn from either our own lessons but as well from others.

RIP Elizabeth Edwards

On Tuesday, Elizabeth Edwards, the former wife of former Senator John Edwards, entered into rest after suffering from terminal breast cancer. She was 61 years old. Mrs. Edwards life was both admirable and tragic. At the age of 16, her son Wade was killed in a car accident. When she was 55, she was diagnosed with cancer after being so wrapped up with John's campaigns that she didn't get a mammography done, even after feeling a lump in her breast. Elizabeth had been a successful lawyer, but also gave that up to become her husband's closest political advisor, ("Behind every great man, there's a great woman.") Recently, the National Enquirer revealed that John had been having an affair with Rielle Hunter, who worked on his campaign. Hunter also went on to have his baby. John Edwards, "insisted that the affair had occurred when his wife’s cancer was in remission and that it was over before he announced his presidential campaign on Dec. 28, 2006 (McFadden)." Elizabeth has become an idol for many women, and I hope men, for her intelligence at political advising, running a family, and putting up an unforgettable battle against something much greater than her. I hope that out of this, women will realize that they can't let life overwhelm them to such a point where they forget to take care of themselves. I hope that she is in a better place sitting beside her son, Wade.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/us/08edwards.html?pagewanted=2&ref=health

By Sarah Fulton

Four Loko For Sale in NYS

By: Jerilynn Sweet
Four Loko had to be pulled from shelves across the country no later than December 13th, but the creater of the caffinated drink is redoing the recipe for the release of the new Four Loko. Rapheal Brion from eater.com quoted online that "Phusion will instead begin selling only non-caffeinated versions of its products." The effects of the drink will remain approximetly the same though the percent of caffeine will be less than before as that was the controversial ingrediant. Phusion claims "we have repeatedly contended - and still believe, as do many people throughout the country - that the combination of alcohol and caffeine is safe. If it were unsafe, popular drinks like rum and colas or Irish coffees that have been consumed safely and responsibly for years would face the same scrutiny that our products have recently faced." With the amount of media that Four Loko was received over the past few months the "new and improved" version is bound to be just as popular as the original.

New Obesity Pill, Truth or Hoax? By Zach Ciraolo

Obesity pills here, get your Obesity pills while their hot; or at least still on the market! There has been a lot of trouble recently with Obesity pills in the past which in result the pills were taken off the market but now there is a new hype for the pill Contrave! According to Singer "Contrave, the drug under review this week, is a combination of two existing generic drugs: buproprion, also known as the brand-name anti-depressant Wellbutrin, and naltrexone, an opioid antagonist prescribed for drug addiction". But Contrave has resulted in people losing weight which is the main purpose of the pill but it does fit the criteria set up in 2007 by the F.D.A "that a new anti-obesity drug should demonstrate at least a 5 percent difference in typical weight loss between treated and placebo groups one year after treatment, and that the difference should be statistically significant, reviewers wrote. Reviewers also noted concerns about higher blood pressure, a possible side-effect of buproprion, in the treated group, particularly among patients with type 2 diabetes" So just like every medicine their is a good and a bad no way around it. So much time, and money put into these medicines that turn out to be flukes or hoaxes? What is the time spent doing research for if the medicine is just going to be taken off the shelves within a year or two? So as always BUYERS BEWARE!