the dow jones lost around 1500 points this week. see thing is, if congress had done their job right and created a bailout bill that would pass the house in the first place, then US markets might have shored up and prevented the current global meltdown.
so we screwed up big time.
and if that's not bad enough, our own news programs are lying to us to make light of the problem. HONEST TO GOD....
last night i was watching FOX NEWS and they reported that the loss on thursday put the dow jones at a low it hadn't seen in 5 years....5 YEARS! i don't think so. it was 12 years ago that i first saw the dow jones go over 10,000 points, and it hasn't dipped below that until now. but they are trying to say that we saw a low like this just 5 years ago. that's total bullshit.
so why are they lying? i don't know, but it kinda sucks that our media is going so far as complete fabrication to brush over this rather alarming state of financial crisis the world is in.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
The United States never surrenders
there is so much going on in the world right now, that even the average US citizen is going find it hard to bury their head in the sand much longer.
today the market ended on a sour note, -372 on the dow jones, which for myself was expecting a negative and thinking that if it stayed around 300 or less, we'd be ok. but with it closer to a black monday of negative 372, i'm not sure. depends on tomorrow.
if dips low again tomorrow without a rally into the positive, then it's going to be bad. and since the US has bought into the market now, our country is invested in the outcome. haven't checked lately on the dollar, but do know that with last week's black monday, the dollar barely held out against the yen.
basically, the US is getting hit on a financial front. and for those that think this doesn't matter to them, that they are not invested in the market so who cares.....THINK AGAIN.
it's not going to help us if we have all the firepower and army strength in the world, but gee golly look at this....we can't even afford to go to war because we can't feed our soldiers. WE HAVE BEEN HIT.
and it's as much damage or more than when the tradecenters collapsed in a heap. if it doesn't pull out and up tomorrow, then i don't know. we might be put in a position that IF there is a world war III erruption, we will have to fight in order to keep our economy from completely bottoming out.
and i think that's how they have us by the balls once again. america is good at panicking and everybody decides to sell when they should hold fast. it could have been worse today, that's for sure. so will keep that in mind and cross our fingers....not only for tomorrow, but for tomorrow's tomorrow too.
today the market ended on a sour note, -372 on the dow jones, which for myself was expecting a negative and thinking that if it stayed around 300 or less, we'd be ok. but with it closer to a black monday of negative 372, i'm not sure. depends on tomorrow.
if dips low again tomorrow without a rally into the positive, then it's going to be bad. and since the US has bought into the market now, our country is invested in the outcome. haven't checked lately on the dollar, but do know that with last week's black monday, the dollar barely held out against the yen.
basically, the US is getting hit on a financial front. and for those that think this doesn't matter to them, that they are not invested in the market so who cares.....THINK AGAIN.
it's not going to help us if we have all the firepower and army strength in the world, but gee golly look at this....we can't even afford to go to war because we can't feed our soldiers. WE HAVE BEEN HIT.
and it's as much damage or more than when the tradecenters collapsed in a heap. if it doesn't pull out and up tomorrow, then i don't know. we might be put in a position that IF there is a world war III erruption, we will have to fight in order to keep our economy from completely bottoming out.
and i think that's how they have us by the balls once again. america is good at panicking and everybody decides to sell when they should hold fast. it could have been worse today, that's for sure. so will keep that in mind and cross our fingers....not only for tomorrow, but for tomorrow's tomorrow too.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
THE MYSPACE WORLD BROADCAST SYSTEM
this is not "news between the lines".....this is sort of my own breaking story. honestly not sure about the right or wrong of putting what have found out and deduced in print.
this week, have been puzzled and going a little nuts with some new programming that appeared on myspace. turns out i didn't need to worry. the only reason i was having the problems was that my country designation had been set to "canada."
well here's the thing....while i was going bonkers trying to figure out the new coding on the blog, there were so MANY differences that it just didn't make sense and i honestly thought a hacker must have gotten into myspace.
but no, it's just because it's the coding for a different country. now, normally the change in coding for a different country would simply be a bit of javascript that modifies the language or characters.
will try to cut to the chase here, because if i start talking programming, most of you will fall asleep. but the xtml they have up for other country's blogs is basically coded to work as a broadcasting system.
they have fields in place that at a moment's notice can change EVERYONE'S blog (in other countries, not USA) into one single broadcast or blog. that and they can also use the coding they have in place to simply cut off all other countries from contact with USA myspace.
so with the way the world is turning....find it interesting that now canada is put on the list. up until two days ago, canada myspace and usa myspace were one.
makes you think.....
anyone that wants details on the differences in coding, or is a techie themselves, can leave a comment and i in turn will leave a comment with the details. but will just mention here that there are so many div fields on their blogs that it's unreal. and thing is, the code change is not just for their own blog, it's for every blog that country views.
so if we send a message saying "fuck you" that shows up on all their blogs, and say on my USA blog i have put up a poem on love and peace and think that's what everyone is reading. but the person from the other country would NOT see the poem, and would simply see the same "fuck you." (or the blog message of their choice)
starting to get the seriousness of this? heck at this point, they might be changing blog content right now, so other countries are thinking americans are saying one thing, when they are actually saying another....
aren't these fun times? god.....just makes me want to run off to australia and bury my head in the sand....
this week, have been puzzled and going a little nuts with some new programming that appeared on myspace. turns out i didn't need to worry. the only reason i was having the problems was that my country designation had been set to "canada."
well here's the thing....while i was going bonkers trying to figure out the new coding on the blog, there were so MANY differences that it just didn't make sense and i honestly thought a hacker must have gotten into myspace.
but no, it's just because it's the coding for a different country. now, normally the change in coding for a different country would simply be a bit of javascript that modifies the language or characters.
will try to cut to the chase here, because if i start talking programming, most of you will fall asleep. but the xtml they have up for other country's blogs is basically coded to work as a broadcasting system.
they have fields in place that at a moment's notice can change EVERYONE'S blog (in other countries, not USA) into one single broadcast or blog. that and they can also use the coding they have in place to simply cut off all other countries from contact with USA myspace.
so with the way the world is turning....find it interesting that now canada is put on the list. up until two days ago, canada myspace and usa myspace were one.
makes you think.....
anyone that wants details on the differences in coding, or is a techie themselves, can leave a comment and i in turn will leave a comment with the details. but will just mention here that there are so many div fields on their blogs that it's unreal. and thing is, the code change is not just for their own blog, it's for every blog that country views.
so if we send a message saying "fuck you" that shows up on all their blogs, and say on my USA blog i have put up a poem on love and peace and think that's what everyone is reading. but the person from the other country would NOT see the poem, and would simply see the same "fuck you." (or the blog message of their choice)
starting to get the seriousness of this? heck at this point, they might be changing blog content right now, so other countries are thinking americans are saying one thing, when they are actually saying another....
aren't these fun times? god.....just makes me want to run off to australia and bury my head in the sand....
Thursday, August 14, 2008
it wasn't me! china, russia, and what next?
ok....now russia is invading georgia.....but like didn't they own it once anyway when it was all the USSR? but right now it makes about as much sense as the US invading canada. now keep in mind, these days am getting most of my news from the JON STEWART show.....
but thing is....have picked up bits here and there. and china, god luv them, and everybody is enjoying the olympics.....HOWEVER....
china is becoming a real problem. i mean BIG. the world's economy is not going to survive their numbers. they just got too many fucking people. so somebody's going to have to drop a bomb on them. end of story. or we're all going to be in the crapper.
my guess is that north korea is going to draw the short straw on that one. russia is trying to build back up its strength, because as neighbors, they don't want to get overrun by 1.3 billion chinese. of course, if the job is done right, it will be more like 1/2 billion VERY ANGRY chinese.
what does that mean for us? well....prices will continue to rise for probably around 8 years, until our big boys can recoup some of their capital. then with population numbers down so the demand also decreases, lowering pricing, we should see some relief at the local stores and supermarkets.
one little drawback is we'll be missing out on the 3 billion a year china has been loaning us through treasury bonds. so taxes are going to go up, but we'll get to blame that all on the new administration. plus we'll have to pull back from what influence we have in the middle east and develop our own resources for oil, basically saying screw it to all the tree huggers. but gosh golly, they are the ones complaining the most about high food prices right now for their organic shit, and so need to learn the meaning of "trade-off."
the nuclear power plants are going to HAVE to be built, because with the electric we have right now being the largest cause of global warming, it's either that or we're all going to be under water. so suggest everybody forgets that movie back in the seventies, coincidentally called "the china syndrome."
if everything is done right, we won't need to panic and things should move along. because god knows, americans panicking are about the most obnoxious creatures on the planet.
and honest to god....it wasn't me
one little side note:: it will be necessary to revoke the part of our law that automatically makes anyone born in this country a US citizen, in order to stop all the mexican illegals from procreating so widely. if we don't, we are going to be in the same boat as china, and how fun will that be, needing to drop a bomb on ourselves?
sorry if i sound like a monster, but anybody that morally objects to wiping out half of china, remember that these are the people that back sudan in the genocide of dafur. these are the people that made genocide in cambodia a reality. numbers on the planet need to be reduced, and THEY KNOW THIS. if we don't beat them to it, who do you think they are going to take out next?
right now they need us, but they are building up markets in africa and southern asia. it won't be that long before the US is expendable. at least we have human rights here. at least we believe in racial and religious tolerance. don't let those beliefs be our weakness, and consequently, our demise.
the only setback i see, as a possible happening, is if our "big boys" perceive more profit from playing ball with the big boys of china, with no regard to how much of the US will be overrun and destroyed. if that happens, you will see prices steadily increase indefinitely, and some disaster or plague will wipe out about a third of us, chinese will become a second or fist language and we will be laughing about the days we bitched about spanish.....and it might run even smoother, though our standard of living for those left will be very low, and you will be having dreams every night on what a weekend used to feel like.
So because of that, would just like to say, for any of our big boys out there, a little reminder.....number one: much of your profit is in US dollars. number 2, while the chinese are willing to work 7 days a week, 12 hour days at barely livable wages, how many of your sons and daughters are going to be stuck doing the same? number 3.....how long do you think an alliance can last, and where will you hide?
as for our "leaders".....obama might make a good puppet, and mccain will side with whatever the big boys decide. so it makes no difference who we get. sorry but that's the truth and get really bored when someone tries to debate "who will be best."
it's not the end of the world.....far from it. but pull your heads out of your asses long enough to be prepared.
start finding ways to cut back on living expenses. everybody, i mean all of us in the US, need to stop living beyond means and stop putting ourselves into debt. it's all going to fall like a house of cards, and we're already beginning to see that in the housing market. time to tighten the belts, before there's nothing left to tighten.
these are going to be the good days.....so quit bitching about it and do what you can to at least make the future livable. and that goes for you "big boys" too....we all like our luxuries, but as far as i'm concerned, i don't care whether or not my coffin is satin-lined.
i know what i say is outrageous, and i know the prospect of going to war for war's sake "just doesn't happen these days".....but you just wait and watch....and remember, it wasn't me!
but thing is....have picked up bits here and there. and china, god luv them, and everybody is enjoying the olympics.....HOWEVER....
china is becoming a real problem. i mean BIG. the world's economy is not going to survive their numbers. they just got too many fucking people. so somebody's going to have to drop a bomb on them. end of story. or we're all going to be in the crapper.
my guess is that north korea is going to draw the short straw on that one. russia is trying to build back up its strength, because as neighbors, they don't want to get overrun by 1.3 billion chinese. of course, if the job is done right, it will be more like 1/2 billion VERY ANGRY chinese.
what does that mean for us? well....prices will continue to rise for probably around 8 years, until our big boys can recoup some of their capital. then with population numbers down so the demand also decreases, lowering pricing, we should see some relief at the local stores and supermarkets.
one little drawback is we'll be missing out on the 3 billion a year china has been loaning us through treasury bonds. so taxes are going to go up, but we'll get to blame that all on the new administration. plus we'll have to pull back from what influence we have in the middle east and develop our own resources for oil, basically saying screw it to all the tree huggers. but gosh golly, they are the ones complaining the most about high food prices right now for their organic shit, and so need to learn the meaning of "trade-off."
the nuclear power plants are going to HAVE to be built, because with the electric we have right now being the largest cause of global warming, it's either that or we're all going to be under water. so suggest everybody forgets that movie back in the seventies, coincidentally called "the china syndrome."
if everything is done right, we won't need to panic and things should move along. because god knows, americans panicking are about the most obnoxious creatures on the planet.
and honest to god....it wasn't me
one little side note:: it will be necessary to revoke the part of our law that automatically makes anyone born in this country a US citizen, in order to stop all the mexican illegals from procreating so widely. if we don't, we are going to be in the same boat as china, and how fun will that be, needing to drop a bomb on ourselves?
sorry if i sound like a monster, but anybody that morally objects to wiping out half of china, remember that these are the people that back sudan in the genocide of dafur. these are the people that made genocide in cambodia a reality. numbers on the planet need to be reduced, and THEY KNOW THIS. if we don't beat them to it, who do you think they are going to take out next?
right now they need us, but they are building up markets in africa and southern asia. it won't be that long before the US is expendable. at least we have human rights here. at least we believe in racial and religious tolerance. don't let those beliefs be our weakness, and consequently, our demise.
the only setback i see, as a possible happening, is if our "big boys" perceive more profit from playing ball with the big boys of china, with no regard to how much of the US will be overrun and destroyed. if that happens, you will see prices steadily increase indefinitely, and some disaster or plague will wipe out about a third of us, chinese will become a second or fist language and we will be laughing about the days we bitched about spanish.....and it might run even smoother, though our standard of living for those left will be very low, and you will be having dreams every night on what a weekend used to feel like.
So because of that, would just like to say, for any of our big boys out there, a little reminder.....number one: much of your profit is in US dollars. number 2, while the chinese are willing to work 7 days a week, 12 hour days at barely livable wages, how many of your sons and daughters are going to be stuck doing the same? number 3.....how long do you think an alliance can last, and where will you hide?
as for our "leaders".....obama might make a good puppet, and mccain will side with whatever the big boys decide. so it makes no difference who we get. sorry but that's the truth and get really bored when someone tries to debate "who will be best."
it's not the end of the world.....far from it. but pull your heads out of your asses long enough to be prepared.
start finding ways to cut back on living expenses. everybody, i mean all of us in the US, need to stop living beyond means and stop putting ourselves into debt. it's all going to fall like a house of cards, and we're already beginning to see that in the housing market. time to tighten the belts, before there's nothing left to tighten.
these are going to be the good days.....so quit bitching about it and do what you can to at least make the future livable. and that goes for you "big boys" too....we all like our luxuries, but as far as i'm concerned, i don't care whether or not my coffin is satin-lined.
i know what i say is outrageous, and i know the prospect of going to war for war's sake "just doesn't happen these days".....but you just wait and watch....and remember, it wasn't me!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
If THIS is America, I'm the last straw....
what's on my mind doesn't really have anything to do with current events, but was watching COPS the other night because it happened to be on.....
the cop kept insisting that this girl had a piece of crack in her mouth that she swallowed, and she kept telling him it was only a breath mint. he never actually SAW what she had in her mouth, but he was busy pinning her to the cement with his knee in her back, telling her she was going to jail for tampering with evidence. guess he figured it was his word against hers, and that he would win....
the reason why this bugged me, aside from the obvious....is that each time an enforcement officer takes the boundaries of proof into his own hands like that, he sets a precedent. it's not written, but it's still there. don't know if it's the job that creates these type of people, or these type of people that gravitate to the jobs. only thing i know, is the more such actions occur, the more such action or enforcement will be condoned.
in other words.....behaving like an ass creates more asses.
and think we have plenty enough of those running around.
sort of related to this is an animal control issue a friend of mine had. guess it's not ok anymore to leave your dog in the car even with the windows rolled down. they tried to get her for abuse of her animal, and i've never heard of anything so absurd. if you leave a baby unattended in a vehicle, yes.....that is wrong and we have laws against that. but a dog? because they were telling her that if SHE was in the truck WITH the dog, it would have been ok. so guess what i'm saying here.....is
WHAT THE FUCKS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?????? HAS THIS WORLD GONE MAD????
HUMANS ARE TREATED LIKE ANIMALS, AND ANIMALS ARE TREATED LIKE HUMANS AND DAMNED IF WE AREN'T ALL GOING TO HELL ANYWAY AT THIS RATE!
government needs to take a step back.....quit trying to micromanage so many people's lives. they need to get their facts straight and stick by a few principles. is it so much to ask for a little bit of logic from those in positions of authority? where did the brains go.....and if america is the camel, where is the last straw?
the cop kept insisting that this girl had a piece of crack in her mouth that she swallowed, and she kept telling him it was only a breath mint. he never actually SAW what she had in her mouth, but he was busy pinning her to the cement with his knee in her back, telling her she was going to jail for tampering with evidence. guess he figured it was his word against hers, and that he would win....
the reason why this bugged me, aside from the obvious....is that each time an enforcement officer takes the boundaries of proof into his own hands like that, he sets a precedent. it's not written, but it's still there. don't know if it's the job that creates these type of people, or these type of people that gravitate to the jobs. only thing i know, is the more such actions occur, the more such action or enforcement will be condoned.
in other words.....behaving like an ass creates more asses.
and think we have plenty enough of those running around.
sort of related to this is an animal control issue a friend of mine had. guess it's not ok anymore to leave your dog in the car even with the windows rolled down. they tried to get her for abuse of her animal, and i've never heard of anything so absurd. if you leave a baby unattended in a vehicle, yes.....that is wrong and we have laws against that. but a dog? because they were telling her that if SHE was in the truck WITH the dog, it would have been ok. so guess what i'm saying here.....is
WHAT THE FUCKS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?????? HAS THIS WORLD GONE MAD????
HUMANS ARE TREATED LIKE ANIMALS, AND ANIMALS ARE TREATED LIKE HUMANS AND DAMNED IF WE AREN'T ALL GOING TO HELL ANYWAY AT THIS RATE!
government needs to take a step back.....quit trying to micromanage so many people's lives. they need to get their facts straight and stick by a few principles. is it so much to ask for a little bit of logic from those in positions of authority? where did the brains go.....and if america is the camel, where is the last straw?
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Where has all the sugar gone?
there is a problem with americans being too fat and diabetic. of course we know we're fat....we're fat, not stupid.
today in the new york times, they are reporting an increase in the number of americans with type II diabetes. and everybody seems to have forgotten the baby boom.
that's right.....the baby boom! i know, because i'm one of the last of the baby boomers, born in 1963. what i'm saying is, they need to temper their statistics according to all the baby boomers reaching those ripe old ages where the onset of type II diabetes becomes a real threat. everybody seems to forget the boom factor.
they mention that it's only type II diabetes almost as if it's an afterthought. but that tends to hit people when they're....what? in their sixties? so we have this major portion of the population reaching their retirement years, and then are surprised by an increase in elderly afflictions?
a 15% rise in 2 years sounds about right, and not like it's a 200% or 300% increase. that's when the bells and whistles should be going off. in fact, 15%, in proportion to overall population, might actually be a DECREASE in diabetic rates.
plus how can you call diabetes an epidemic? is it communicable? when was the last time somebody sneezed on you and gave you diabetes?
something else hit me as funny today, and that was how Obama is giving away refrigerator magnets (calling them "car magnets," but everyone knows magnets go on the refrigerator) to anyone who gives $15 or more to his campaign. sounds too much like PBS.....yep...yep...yep....
but since everybody has decided that americans are too fat and giant ticking time bombs for diabetes, maybe he should be busy trying to rope in the masses with what's IN the refrigerator instead....
even i might chip in a few dollars if i could get some twinkies out of it....mmmmmmmm.......twinkies........
********************************
this is an addendum to my original blog. thought i would throw out some numbers, to show what i'm talking about....
"147 percent - The projected percentage that the 65+ senior population will increase between 2000 and 2050.
The U.S. population as a whole is expected to increase by only 49 percent during same period." ~seniorliving.about.com
"As the oldest baby boomers become senior citizens in 2011, the population 65 and older is projected to grow faster than the total population in every state. In fact, 26 states are projected to double their 65- and-older population between 2000 and 2030." ~seniorjournal.com
the first of the baby boomers are hitting 65 years old in 2011....that means that they hit 60 five years before that, or 2006. coincidentally, that marks the 2 year framework that they have noted increases in diabetic rates.
the senior population growth rate between now and 2050 looks to be approximately three times that of the general population. with type II diabetes generally being a senior affliction, we can logically look for as much as 300% increase in diabetic rates between now and 2050. or, more accurately, if seniors make up about 80% of type II diabetic cases, then we can expect the numbers of those with diabetes to increase 240% by 2050.
also, the rate of discovery of diabetes has increased.....from only 70% of the cases being discovered, to 76% from 2005 to 2007. that means that a good part of the increase is because more people are being diagnosed. ten years ago, only 50% of the diabetic population was actually diagnosed.
to conclude.....there is NO real increase in the rate or prevalence of type II diabetes.
it's a real bitch trying to find the numbers of actual diabetic cases 2 years ago. but if it's up 15% to 24 million, that means the number 2 years ago was around 21 million. 2 years ago the US population was 299,398,484, today it is 304,434,455. that makes today's rate around 7.8 percent, and two years ago around 7 percent.
so the number of americans with diabetes is actually up less than 1 percent. throw in the fact that more diabetic cases are being diagnosed, and the baby boomers hitting their senior years....well, looks to me like rather than increasing to "epidemic" proportions, diabetes might be on the decline.
if i could get the numbers for the increase in the senior population (which our last census was in 2000) and the percentage of type II diabetes that they make up, (knowing 25% percent of seniors have type II diabetes is of no help, need to know what percentage of those with diabetes are seniors) then i could prove that rates for the prevalence of diabetes is actually down in other age groups....
but since i'm not getting paid for any of this research....i welcome anyone else to have a go at it, but time for me to go have a smoke and blow it all to the summer breeze.....
LEAVE A COMMENT
today in the new york times, they are reporting an increase in the number of americans with type II diabetes. and everybody seems to have forgotten the baby boom.
that's right.....the baby boom! i know, because i'm one of the last of the baby boomers, born in 1963. what i'm saying is, they need to temper their statistics according to all the baby boomers reaching those ripe old ages where the onset of type II diabetes becomes a real threat. everybody seems to forget the boom factor.
they mention that it's only type II diabetes almost as if it's an afterthought. but that tends to hit people when they're....what? in their sixties? so we have this major portion of the population reaching their retirement years, and then are surprised by an increase in elderly afflictions?
a 15% rise in 2 years sounds about right, and not like it's a 200% or 300% increase. that's when the bells and whistles should be going off. in fact, 15%, in proportion to overall population, might actually be a DECREASE in diabetic rates.
plus how can you call diabetes an epidemic? is it communicable? when was the last time somebody sneezed on you and gave you diabetes?
something else hit me as funny today, and that was how Obama is giving away refrigerator magnets (calling them "car magnets," but everyone knows magnets go on the refrigerator) to anyone who gives $15 or more to his campaign. sounds too much like PBS.....yep...yep...yep....
but since everybody has decided that americans are too fat and giant ticking time bombs for diabetes, maybe he should be busy trying to rope in the masses with what's IN the refrigerator instead....
even i might chip in a few dollars if i could get some twinkies out of it....mmmmmmmm.......twinkies........
********************************
this is an addendum to my original blog. thought i would throw out some numbers, to show what i'm talking about....
"147 percent - The projected percentage that the 65+ senior population will increase between 2000 and 2050.
The U.S. population as a whole is expected to increase by only 49 percent during same period." ~seniorliving.about.com
"As the oldest baby boomers become senior citizens in 2011, the population 65 and older is projected to grow faster than the total population in every state. In fact, 26 states are projected to double their 65- and-older population between 2000 and 2030." ~seniorjournal.com
the first of the baby boomers are hitting 65 years old in 2011....that means that they hit 60 five years before that, or 2006. coincidentally, that marks the 2 year framework that they have noted increases in diabetic rates.
the senior population growth rate between now and 2050 looks to be approximately three times that of the general population. with type II diabetes generally being a senior affliction, we can logically look for as much as 300% increase in diabetic rates between now and 2050. or, more accurately, if seniors make up about 80% of type II diabetic cases, then we can expect the numbers of those with diabetes to increase 240% by 2050.
also, the rate of discovery of diabetes has increased.....from only 70% of the cases being discovered, to 76% from 2005 to 2007. that means that a good part of the increase is because more people are being diagnosed. ten years ago, only 50% of the diabetic population was actually diagnosed.
to conclude.....there is NO real increase in the rate or prevalence of type II diabetes.
it's a real bitch trying to find the numbers of actual diabetic cases 2 years ago. but if it's up 15% to 24 million, that means the number 2 years ago was around 21 million. 2 years ago the US population was 299,398,484, today it is 304,434,455. that makes today's rate around 7.8 percent, and two years ago around 7 percent.
so the number of americans with diabetes is actually up less than 1 percent. throw in the fact that more diabetic cases are being diagnosed, and the baby boomers hitting their senior years....well, looks to me like rather than increasing to "epidemic" proportions, diabetes might be on the decline.
if i could get the numbers for the increase in the senior population (which our last census was in 2000) and the percentage of type II diabetes that they make up, (knowing 25% percent of seniors have type II diabetes is of no help, need to know what percentage of those with diabetes are seniors) then i could prove that rates for the prevalence of diabetes is actually down in other age groups....
but since i'm not getting paid for any of this research....i welcome anyone else to have a go at it, but time for me to go have a smoke and blow it all to the summer breeze.....
LEAVE A COMMENT
Monday, June 23, 2008
has anyone noticed it's harder to get a tan these days?
reading a fox news article today.....i know, i know! fox news.....uh-huh.....
but anyway, it was a side trip from global warming issues, and spoke of sun activity in recent years.
believe it or not.....our sun seems to be pooping out on us a bit of late. scientists aren't too concerned, because they figure the green house gases we've got.....all that fun stuff, well it's busy warming the planet anyway. next thing you know, they'll be telling us we don't need the sun at all....
well, myself have noticed over the last several years that the sun doesn't feel the same on my skin. mostly i figured it was just a manifestation of my insanity, or perhaps a symptom of getting old.
so was surprised to read that since about 2002 there have been almost NO sunspots.....and according to the article, when the sun would normally have 100 or more sunspots, it puts off more ultraviolet radiation......i.e. the stuff that makes you tan.
another interesting point, is that without the magnectic activity, the sun no longer protects us from what they laughingly call "cosmic rays." have no clue what that's supposed to be, but apparently we're getting hit by space cooties every day now and don't even know it....
in what i consider a related post, news today was released that states people with low levels of vitamin D are more likely to die. within this article, it reports that there is a world-wide lowering of vitamin D levels:
"Global Low Vitamin D
In an article accompanying the research, the researchers report that on average both older and younger people around the world may not be getting enough vitamin D.
They speculate that it may be due to air pollution, a lack of outdoor activities, and increased urbanization, with more people staying and working indoors.
"
well, i propose that the lower levels may be due to the decrease in sunspot activity. so going outdoors may not be the cure...suggest everybody be sure and drink up their milk!
but anyway, it was a side trip from global warming issues, and spoke of sun activity in recent years.
believe it or not.....our sun seems to be pooping out on us a bit of late. scientists aren't too concerned, because they figure the green house gases we've got.....all that fun stuff, well it's busy warming the planet anyway. next thing you know, they'll be telling us we don't need the sun at all....
well, myself have noticed over the last several years that the sun doesn't feel the same on my skin. mostly i figured it was just a manifestation of my insanity, or perhaps a symptom of getting old.
so was surprised to read that since about 2002 there have been almost NO sunspots.....and according to the article, when the sun would normally have 100 or more sunspots, it puts off more ultraviolet radiation......i.e. the stuff that makes you tan.
another interesting point, is that without the magnectic activity, the sun no longer protects us from what they laughingly call "cosmic rays." have no clue what that's supposed to be, but apparently we're getting hit by space cooties every day now and don't even know it....
in what i consider a related post, news today was released that states people with low levels of vitamin D are more likely to die. within this article, it reports that there is a world-wide lowering of vitamin D levels:
"Global Low Vitamin D
In an article accompanying the research, the researchers report that on average both older and younger people around the world may not be getting enough vitamin D.
They speculate that it may be due to air pollution, a lack of outdoor activities, and increased urbanization, with more people staying and working indoors.
"
well, i propose that the lower levels may be due to the decrease in sunspot activity. so going outdoors may not be the cure...suggest everybody be sure and drink up their milk!
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