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Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Saturday 20 February 2010

Dr. Ron Paul's Addresses CPAC - END THE FED! - Ron Paul for President in 2012! -

Watching - Dr. Ron Paul's Addresses CPAC - END THE FED! - Ron Paul for President in 2012! -





Shock! - Libertarian darling Ron Paul won the CPAC straw poll tonight - Beat Romney AND Palin -

Reading - Shock! - Libertarian darling Ron Paul won the CPAC straw poll tonight - Beat Romney AND Palin -

Libertarian darling Ron Paul won the CPAC straw poll tonight, taking 31% of the vote in the multi-candidate field. Mitt Romney came in a distant second place. Sarah Palin came in third, drawing single-digits.

Only 2,395 straw poll votes were cast by what organizers said was 10,000 attendees at this year's CPAC.

Results from the full field, and a link to the complete poll after the jump.

Haley Barbour: 1%

Mitch Daniels: 2%

Newt Gingrich: 4%

Mike Huckabee: 4%

Sarah Palin: 7%

Ron Paul: 31%

Tim Pawlenty: 6%

Mike Pence: 5%

Mitt Romney: 22%

Rick Santorum: 2%

Read more -http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/02/straw-poll-results-post.php?ref=fpa

Michelle Obama on Friday announces $400 million+ in Fed $ to help bring more grocery stores nationwide? HUH? -

Reading - Michelle Obama on Friday announces $400 million+ in Fed $ to help bring more grocery stores nationwide? HUH? -


First lady Michelle Obama on Friday took her campaign against childhood obesity to a city once dubbed America's fattest, announcing more than $400 million in federal assistance to help bring more grocery stores to underserved communities nationwide.
Obama, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited the Fairhill Elementary School in North Philadelphia to discuss access to healthy, affordable food.

Improving access to stores that serve fresh foods is a key part of helping to solve the problem of childhood obesity, Obama said. About 23.5 million Americans live in "food deserts," where they don't have supermarkets and end up buying less healthy foods from places like convenience stores, she said.

Six years ago, she said, Pennsylvania invested about $30 million in fresh food financing, investments that have helped create 83 supermarket projects across the state.

"If you can do it here, we can do it around the country," said Obama, who visited a grocery store in North Philadelphia earlier in the day.

Speaking to an auditorium of several hundred students, Obama announced plans for tax credits, loans and other funding aimed at helping to bring healthy food retailers to underserved rural and urban communities. Funding would go toward construction and expansion of grocery stores and other projects.

"We know it won't be easy to solve this obesity crisis," she said. "But if there's anyone out


there who doubts that it can be done, I would urge them to come to Philadelphia and see what you have done here."
In 1999, Men's Fitness magazine named Philadelphia the fattest city in the nation. But Obama praised the city and its school district for their efforts to reduce the number of obese children.

Earlier this month, the first lady announced the public awareness campaign against childhood obesity, an effort she dubbed "Let's Move."

The campaign is geared toward helping parents make better food choices, serving healthier food in schools, making healthy food more available and affordable, and encouraging children to get more exercise.

Some have criticized her for using her own daughters—Malia, 11, and Sasha, 8—as an example.

The girls were starting to get off-track before the family's pediatrician gave her a warning, she said. That prompted her to make changes—no more weekday TV, more attention to portion sizes, low-fat milk and more fruits and vegetables.

On Friday, both Obama and Geithner both praised the recent weight loss of food-loving Gov. Ed Rendell, a former Philadelphia mayor, who joined them on the school's stage.

Calling him "Mr. Svelte," Obama said, "Every time I see him, he gets smaller and smaller."

"It's good to see the governor looking like an athlete again," Geithner said.

Earlier Friday, Obama visited a $15 million Fresh Grocer store that opened in North Philadelphia in December though a public-private partnership created to increase the number of supermarkets in underserved communities.

She walked through the aisles, ordered a strawberry-banana smoothie and shook hands with shoppers

Read more -http://www.ldnews.com/news/ci_14432751

Crew member aboard a ship housing 2010 Olympic security forces is bring treated for Leprosy -

Reading - Crew member aboard a ship housing 2010 Olympic security forces is bring treated for Leprosy -


A crew member aboard a ship housing 2010 Olympic security forces is bring treated for leprosy, CTV News has learned.

The crew member has been treated and health officials stress there is no risk to the public.

Leprosy is typically characterized by skin rashes and nerve damage. It is easily treated with antibiotics.

Dr. Patricia Daly, chief medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, told ctvbc.ca that a crew member aboard the Statendam tested positive on Thursday.

The crew member visited a doctor aboard the ship, who in turn referred the case to a dermatologist in Vancouver.

Samples were sent to a lab and came back positive. The results were then reported to Vancouver Coastal Health.

The crew member was immediately treated.

Leprosy is not highly contagious to begin with, and there is no risk of the disease spreading 24 hours after treatment, Daly said.

Daly said the crew member had no contact with passengers and there is no indication that it spread to any other crew members.

Notices went out to passengers Friday morning to allay any concerns.

Daly declined to say where the crew member is from other than to say the person is not Canadian. She declined to say whether the crew member is presently aboard the ship or not.

The 2010 Integrated Security Unit is made up of more than 15,000 members, including police and military officers.

The bulk of the security force members from out of town are being housed in cruise ships berthed at the Ballantyne Pier in east Vancouver for the duration of the Games.

The Statendam is operated by Holland America Line.

Read more -http://www.ctvolympics.ca/news-centre/newsid=47200.html#olympic+enforcement+staffer+treated+leprosy?cid=rssctv