Miscellaneous.....Obama Effect, Stimulus, Health etc.

      African Americans' performance on verbal test improved to equal that of white Americans after Obama's nomination and then election but in 1996 when Obama said he supported gay marriage, only 27% of Americans did but by 2008 when Obama said he opposed gay marriage, fully 39% supported it. The St.Petersberg Times is tracking the 510 campaign promises that Obama made in its "Obameter". So far he has kept 11 and broken 2. Now the Republicans are looking to Newt Gringrich to save them, after the bug-eyed Jindal imploded and Limbaugh balloned.

      Moody's has estimated that the U.S. GDP increased by $1.03 for every dollar of tax cut but by $1.59 for every dollar spent on infrastructure and $1.73 for every dollar of food stamp given out. A Univ. of Maryland study has shown that economic growth begin anew  about 2 years after a recession begins and that unemployment reaches its peak  in about 5 years and the National Nurses Organising Committee( Oakland), estimates that 2,600,000 jobs would be created under a single-payer health-care system. Dietitians say that the recession is making it harder for their patients to lose weight.

      Freedom House, has noted that whereas democracies increased 71% between 1989 and 1996 ( the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of right-wing military dictatorships in Latin America etc.), there has been little change...Kosovo?, since. There has also been a noticeable drop of successful military coups in Africa.... 24 in 1960's and 21 in 1980's but only 5 since 2000. The average number of people who have died in the Congo each month from war-realated causes, since August 1998 is estimated to be about 51,400, according to the International Rescue Committee.

      Vicks Vapo Rub may harm children; zinc supplements reduce alcohol-related birth defects; high temperatures and low air pressure can trigger migraines, according to the journal Neurology. Some other well-known triggers are red wine,chocolate,soft cheese and the begining of menstrual cycle. Also according to a study published by the British Medical Journal , migraines in pregnancy could be a clue that a woman is at risk of a stroke,heart disease and blood clots. In a paper published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, by Hyon Choi and colleagues at the University of British Columbia, " vitamin C intake may prpvide a useful option in the prevention of gout". Gout victims are typically men 40 and older ( some women can be affected too). Every 500-milligram increase of daily vitaminC intake produced a 17% decrease in the risk for gout. Gout can lead to permanent joint damage and is linked to alcohol abuse, obesity, high blood pressure and a diet heavy in meat and cheese, the study pointed out.

      On the local front, Louise Harel, the former P.Q. minister of municipal affairs has created a firestorm by suggesting that "quasi-municipalities" with an ethnic, religiousand/or linguistic base will spring up,( because of the number of boroughs) " we will end up in the worst of situations because we'll have ..  an Italian city, a Haitian city, an anglophone city, an Arab city-Ville St. Laurent, a Jewish city etc". This was in answer to a suggestion that the number of boroughs be reduced from 19 to 10. Quick condemnation came from all quarters....charges of "stereotypes", "caricature", "divisiveness", "racist", "unacceptable,inadmissable", " frightening, especially coming from her", " sowing seeds of xenophobia".             

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