Category Archives: Health

Again, I give my very lifeblood (some of it, anyway) for the cause

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Do not try this at home, boys and girls — even if you are one of the Twitterati!

Late yesterday afternoon, I Tweeted out the above picture with this message:

I’m giving blood at the Red Cross with my right, and Tweeting with my left!

Once again, I was giving double red cells, on account of this region needing it so badly. I can’t do it again until 16 weeks from now. But you can fill the need in the meantime.

But again, don’t try it at home. Go down to the Red Cross office on Bull Street (or attend one of the Red Cross blood drives). Click here for info on how to give.

What I was doing all weekend

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Gerrita Postlewait, Fred Washington, John Simpkins and Terry Peterson discuss "Education, Poverty and Equity on the Ground in South Carolina" with moderator Mark Quinn.

Y’all probably think I haven’t blogged in days. I have; it was just microblogging. One of these days I’m going to get social media totally integrated into this blog so y’all can immediately see my posts on Twitter, because when I’m away from my laptop, that’s where I’m sharing observations.

From Friday through Sunday, I was at the Riley Institute’s Diversity Leaders Initiative graduate weekend in Hilton Head. When I arrived, Cindy Youssef of the Riley Institute asked me to Tweet as much as possible, and to use the hashtag #onesc.

It’s dangerous to tell one of the Twitterati to Tweet as much as possible. There were others putting the word out there, but I was probably the most manic, as you can see by looking at the hashtag results. There was a respite of a couple of hours when I took my iPhone up to my room to recharge it, but other than that I didn’t slow down much.

Here you see most of my Tweets from the weekend. I left out some asides that had nothing to do with what was going on, but also left a couple of those in, for flavor.

For a complete roster of who was there, you can look here.

Most of the Tweets were when people said something I agreed with, although not all (as I’ve explained before, I favor single-payer NOT because people have a “right” to health care, but because it’s a more rational system for society overall than what we have now; but I thought it very interesting that Ed Seller thinks it’s a fundamental right).

When someone else’s Tweet is quoted, I use that person’s handle in front of it, and then insert my own as it goes back to my voice. I hope that makes this easier to follow.

Anyway, enough explanation. Here you go:

Brad Warthen ‏ @BradWarthen

Listening to Marlena Smalls singing to Riley Institute Diversity Leadership graduates in Hilton Head… He’s Got the Whole World…#OneSC

I was listening to Ken May talk about folk art traditions in SC when the coffee started to kick in… #OneSC

Just had an enjoyable political chat with Alston DeVenny, husband of Susan & law partners with the uncle of @fitsnews in Lancaster.#OneSC

Will Folks aka Sic ‏ @fitsnews

@BradWarthen ha! my uncle Robert is a good dude …

Brad Warthen ‏ @BradWarthen

Don Gordon talking about the need to transform the two South Carolinas into One… #OneSC pic.twitter.com/PQNaC7Qc

Harvey Peeler ‏ @harveypeeler

What is it about Starbucks that makes people want to tell you they are there and does the Drive-thru count ?

Brad Warthen ‏ @BradWarthen

@harveypeeler @Starbucks is awesome, they have time to kill, they’re caffeinated, and no, it doesn’t count.

In reply to Harvey Peeler

Harvey Peeler ‏ @harveypeeler

I think I can remove my “Tweeter training wheels ” when @BradWarthen pays attention to what I Tweet.

Brad Warthen ‏ @BradWarthen

“Medicine is a social science, and politics is nothing else but medicine on a large scale.” Rudolph Virchow, quoted by Ray Greenberg.#OneSC

MUSC’s Greenberg: Problem of people not getting needed meds because of cost is getting WORSE… #OneSC

MUSC’s Ray Greenberg: People with higher levels of educational attainment spend more on alcohol… #OneSC

Greenberg: Stats indicate I-95 corridor is SC’s stroke belt… #OneSC

Greenberg: In many rural counties in SC, there’s not a single OB/gyn. “Deserts” of care… #OneSC

Greenberg: SC is No. 1 in people living in mobile homes. Whoo-hoo! One-fifth of us! #OneSC

Greenberg: Health disparities are NOT the result of bad habits of the poor. #OneSC

Forrest L. Alton ‏ @YoungGunCEO

Sitting at table by @BradWarthen, master tweeter… I can’t keep up, guy is good!! #OneSC #watchandlearn

Brad Warthen ‏ @BradWarthen

Ed Sellers: In SC, income does not rise with age, but health cost rise dramatically, for blacks and whites. #OneSC

Ed Sellers, formerly of Blue Cross Blue Shield: Access to health care is a fundamental right… #OneSC

That parenthetical interjection on the last Tweet was mine, not Ed Sellers’… #OneSC

Literally jumping the shark: “@CBSNews: Video: Reporter swims with sharks – without a cage (via @CBSThisMorning) bit.ly/wAhfsQ”

@wesleydonehue @harveypeeler When it comes to @Starbucks, I take a backseat to no man!

Heads up, folks: “@AnitaGarrett: Ed Sellers: “There are 55% more whites than black that will be on Medicaid.” #OneSC”

Carolyn Wong Simpkins: In US, we have best & worst health care.#OneSC

Ed Sellers: $24 billion spent on health care in SC annually. It goes up a billion a year… #OneSC

Ed Sellers: Other countries control health care costs by controlling growth of capacity, which (irrationally) is anathema to U.S. #OneSC

Simpkins: We are SO concerned to make sure no one undeserving gets care, we overcomplicate the system… #OneSC

Wanda Gonsalves highlights the crying need for primary care physicians, a “dying breed.” #OneSC

Watching a film that exhorts us to respect barbecue. But I don’t have to be persuaded… #OneSC

The takeaway: Don’t trust a barbecue pitmaster who doesn’t choose and cut his own wood… #OneSC

Huge applause for Pitmaster Rodney Scott of Scott’s BBQ in Hemingway, SC. #OneSC

BBQ Pitmaster Rodney Scott: Hemingway isn’t in the middle of nowhere; “It’s in the middle of everywhere.” #OneSC

Doug Woodward: SC productivity shot up from 90s thru early 00s, leveled off. And our income is FALLING, even when economy is good… #OneSC

Woodward: We must educate more of SC population at a higher level to be ready for 2030, when only 1 out of 6 will be working… #OneSC

Woodward: If we raise educational attainment to national average by 2030, personal income will rise by $68 billion. #OneSC

Jim Hammond ‏ @restlessboomer

#onesc Economist Doug Woodward: If we’d followed the policies Gov. Riley for the past 18 years, we wouldn’t have this (increase in poverty)

Brad Warthen ‏ @BradWarthen

Woodward: Key to prosperity — attracting and keeping the creative class… #OneSC

Steve Morrison quoting someone on poor towns in SC: We built Interstates so we wouldn’t have to look at them… #OneSC

Steve Morrison: If you want a safer and more secure South Carolina, teach a young man to read. #OneSC

Steve Morrison: We must get the greatest teachers to the students with the greatest need… #OneSC

Morrison: Recent trend in education in SC — cutting funding, while passing unfunded mandates to the districts… #OneSC

Morrison: Can we agree that teachers matter the most? #OneSC

Morrison: Take that tax base along the coast, and share it with the poor districts… #OneSC

Morrison: It’s great to have good private schools, but public education MATTERS… #OneSC

Morrison: The child gets off the bus at 5 years old with bright eyes. He’s not defeated. Yet. #OneSC

John Simpkins: The opposite of love isn’t hate; it’s indifference. (“My kids are fine; yours aren’t my concern.”) #OneSC

To paraphrase Terry Peterson, we need not just a love of justice, but a hard-minded understanding of what economic dev. requires. ##OneSC

What this conference keeps wrestling with is what to do about the total triumph of “I, me, mine” in SC politics. #OneSC

Ex-Gov. John Baldacci of Maine says Riley Institute is “kind of like a focus group for the state of SC.” #OneSC

Baldacci says on his first visit to SC, “I was really blown away” by downtown Greenville. (Something for Columbia to aspire to.) #OneSC

Baldacci: “The very basic foundation of our democracy is education.”#OneSC

Baldacci: As dysfunctional as our politics may be, what we have is better than what most people have had throughout history. #OneSC

Baldacci describes the surreal experience of being in Congress on 9/11/01… #OneSC

Baldacci: You can go anywhere in the world, but you can’t become Chinese; you CAN come here from China & become an American.#OneSC

Baldacci: “You’ve gotta be yourself; you’ve gotta tell the truth and you’ve gotta work hard.” (Father’s advice.) #OneSC

Baldacci: “We all have to get over it, folks… We have to realize that we have a greatness here if we work together…” #OneSC

Baldacci exhorts us to treat people as Dick Riley always has… with dignity and respect. Amen to that; we could have no better model.#OneSC

Others call Dick Riley “secretary.” I call him “Governor.” For SC, that means the most (to me, anyway). #OneSC

Apparently, I'm even Tweeting while talking at the barbecue with Clare of the Clare Morris Agency and Susan DeVenny of First Steps.

Here’s a new wrinkle in campaigning for non-elective office in SC

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Have you ever seen a public, media campaign in SC for an appointive office? Neither have I. But we just had one.

An ex-colleague (as in, someone else who used to work at the newspaper) brought this to my attention. It came to him yesterday as a solicitation e-mail. It featured that “View Full Image or Donate Now” feature that I’ve seen on a number of GOP solicitations recently. When you carefully avoid the “Donate Now” and click on “View Full Image,” you go to this site, where you read:

Conservative women, we need your help in Columbia tomorrow.

Democratic Senators are attempting to stop the nomination of a strong, conservative woman to lead an important state agency.

Qualified women are too often discouraged from seeking public office by the entrenched “good old boy” interests. You can read more about this issue an op-ed by our founder, Karen Floyd, that was published in The State newspaper today. Scroll down for the complete text of Karen’s piece.

Don’t let it happen this time – Let’s stand with Catherine Templeton during her Senate screening hearing tomorrow.

If you care about making sure qualified women are encouraged to serve, STAND WITH US!

Set aside where Republican appeals to feminist sensibilities have gotten us in the past, and focus on what an unusual approach this is. I hadn’t seen it before, but perhaps I just wasn’t paying attention.

Anyway, whether this helped or not, those behind it got their way today:

A Senate committee approved the nominee to run South Carolina’s environment and health agency at a hearing today.

Catherine Templeton will be the next Department of Health and Environmental Control commissioner following the 13-0 vote, pending final approval by the Senate next week.

Democratic senators Brad Hutto, Joel Lourie and Clementa Pinckney abstained, raising questions about her experience…

Give blood, get free stuff — and save lives

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Tomorrow, Groundhog Day, there will be another community blood drive at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

I can’t give, because it’s too soon after the last time. But you probably can. And of course, since I can’t do it this time, they’re giving away cool free stuff:

• A free American Red Cross Lifesavers t-shirt

• A free pound of Starbucks coffee

• A chance to win a pair of Delta Air Lines tickets

OK, so I’m jealous. But truth be told, last time around I managed to get my mitts on two rather nice long-sleeved T-shirts.

But the best reward is knowing that you’ve addressed the chronic shortage of life-giving blood in the Midlands.

The event will take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. To make an appointment, call 1-800-733-2767.

Tell them I sent you — in my place.

U.S. health care is already ‘socialized’

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I found this piece from Slate interesting:

At the end of 2011, the remarkable innovator Donald Berwick was forced to resign as the recess-appointed head of Medicare and Medicaid, a casualty of Republican-led opposition to his confirmation. An outspoken fan of the United Kingdom’s single-payer system, Berwick was portrayed by critics as a socialist who once commented that “excellent health care is by definition redistributional.” In 2010, for example, Republican leaders of the Senate Finance Committee grilled him about whether he “still distrusted the free market” and made it his goal to “make health care rationing the new normal.”

The furor over Berwick reflects a broader, fundamental disagreement over the nature of health insurance. Should it be “social” insurance, with which financial risk is leveled between those who are ill and healthy, so the carefree twentysomething and diabetic elderly man pay equally into the system? Or would it be better structured as “actuarial” insurance, where those expected to consume more shell out more, just as those who drive flashy, expensive cars or rack up speeding tickets pay higher auto insurance rates? If your view is the former, you generally support the notion of a single-payer system, as Berwick and many Democrats do. On the other hand, if you see health insurance as actuarial, you favor tiered premiums depending on age and pre-existing conditions, and tend to like health savings accounts, as many Republicans do. This dispute is central to continuing political wrangling over the 2010 health reform legislation, the main provisions of which are scheduled to take effect in a few years.

But Americans made their choice clear long before Barack Obama ever signed the law—and they picked social insurance. The issue today isn’t whether we should redistribute health care dollars. We do, arguably to the same degree that every other country does. Systems with national health insurance systems explicitly redistribute money before patients get in car accidents, discover cancer, or develop heart disease. Here we do it in secret after illness occurs. We create the illusion of actuarial insurance, when the truth is that all major American health care institutions have been socialized for decades…

Any rational health insurance system distributes risk, and cost, so that everyone pays a reasonable amount to cover the needs of the few who are sick or injured at a given moment.

And I’ll never understand why people object to putting the whole country in the same risk pool, thereby spreading cost and risk as thinly as possible.

But that’s ideologues for you. They’d rather call something names than think about how much more sensible it would be.

Upcoming opportunities to give blood

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Yesterday at Rotary, I saw that there are more blood drives coming up in the community. Since I gave double red cells in November, I still have to wait a few weeks before I can give again. But maybe some of y’all can give for me. Following are some opportunities:

Blood and Platelet Donations Needed Every Day to Respond to Patient Emergencies

Columbia, S.C. – Like the Emergency Room of a hospital, the American Red Cross must be prepared to respond to patient emergencies with blood products 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Through the everyday support and generosity of blood and platelet donors, the Red Cross can be prepared to do this day-in and day-out, no matter when or where these blood products are needed.

Each day, approximately 44,000 units of blood are needed for patients in the United States.  In fact, approximately every two seconds, someone in this country needs blood. All eligible donors are encouraged to become an Everyday supporter of the Red Cross and their communities by giving blood or platelets this winter.

Upcoming Blood Donation Opportunities:

1/11 Blackville High School 76 Atkins Circle Blackville 8:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m.
1/12 Emmanuel Lutheran Church 2491 Emmanuel Church Road Cayce-West Columbia 3:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.
1/13 Fairfield Memorial Hospital 102 US Hwy. 321 Bypass N. Winnsboro 11:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.
1/15 Broadacres Baptist Church 2350 Taylor Road Cayce 1:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.
1/17 DHEC 8911 Farrow Dr. Columbia 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m.
1/17 Corinth Lutheran Church 638 Corinth Road Saluda 2:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
1/17 Depot Thomson 136 Railroad St. Thomson 12:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m.
1/18 Palmetto Health Baptist Medical Center 1501 Sumter St. Columbia 7:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.
1/18 Palmetto Health Baptist Medical Center 1501 Sumter St. Columbia 8:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m.
1/18 Allendale County Hospital 1787 Allendale Fairfax Hwy. Fairfax 11:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.
1/18 Doby’s Mill Elementary School 1964 Fort Jackson Road Lugoff 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m.
1/19 Department of Motor Vehicles 10311 Wilson Blvd. Blythewood 10:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m.
1/19 CMC Steel South Carolina 310 New State Road Cayce 7:00 a.m. noon
1/19 Lexington County Sheriff’s Department 521 Gibson Road Lexington 8:00 a.m. 5 p.m.
1/20 Swansea High School 500 E. First St. Swansea 8:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
1/21 St. Paul’s Lutheran Church 246 St. Paul’s Church Road Gilbert 8:00 a.m. 1:30 p.m.
1/22 Tree of Life Congregation 6719 N. Trenholm Road Arcadia Lakes 9:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m.
1/23 County Emergency Medical SVC 407 Ball Park Road Lexington 4:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m.
1/24 Delta Air Lines 100 Delta Drive Augusta 1:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m.
1/24 BlueCross BlueShield 2401 Faraway Dr. Columbia 10:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m.
1/25 Aiken Mall 2441 Whiskey Road S. Aiken 2:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
1/25 Augusta State University 2500 Walton Way Augusta 10:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m.
1/25 Liberty Park 1040 Newmantown Road Grovetown 11:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.
1/26 Lexington Medical Center 2720 Sunset Blvd. Cayce-West Columbia 7:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.
1/26 Allstate Insurance Company 1400 Browning Road Columbia 10:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m.
1/26 Health & Human Services 1801 Main St. Columbia 10:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m.
1/27 Brookland Cayce Gym 1300 State St. Cayce 8:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
1/29 Shandon United Methodist 3407 Devine St. Columbia 8:00 a.m. 12:45 p.m.
1/30 Red Bank Baptist Church 120 Community Dr. Lexington 2:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
1/31 S.C. Department of Agriculture 1000 block of Sumter St. Columbia 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m.
1/31 Columbia College 1300 Columbia College Dr. Columbia 10:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.
1/31 Fortis College 246 Stoneridge Dr. #101 Columbia 8:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m.

Columbia Donation Center

2751 Bull St.

Columbia, S.C. 29201

Blood donation hours:
Monday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Tuesday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Wednesday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Thursday: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Saturday: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Platelet donation hours:
Sunday: 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Monday: 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Tuesday: 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Wednesday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Thursday: 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Friday: 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Saturday: 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.

How to Donate Blood

Simply call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license, or two other forms of identification are required at check-in.  Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

About the American Red Cross

Governed by volunteers and supported by giving individuals and communities, the American Red Cross is the single largest supplier of blood products to hospitals throughout the United States. While local hospital needs are always met first, the Red Cross also helps ensure no patient goes without blood no matter where or when they need it. In addition to providing nearly half of the nation’s blood supply, the Red Cross provides relief to victims of disaster, trains millions in lifesaving skills, serves as a communication link between U.S. military members and their families, and assists victims of international disasters or conflicts.

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It doesn’t have to be THAT graphic for me…

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USC just put out this release:

Up in smoke: Research shows graphic images can deter smokers

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but its worth might just be measurable in terms of lives, according to research by a University of South Carolina public health professor.

That’s because visual imagery on cigarette packages deters smoking, and the more graphic they are, the better the results, said Jim Thrasher, assistant professor in the Arnold School of Public Health Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior.

“Tobacco use continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and graphic health warnings are among the most cost-effective interventions that exist,” Thrasher said….

Personally, I don’t need graphic images to deter me. One whiff of the stuff is enough to persuade me to stay away from it forever.

If you must show me a “graphic” image, the one above is fine. It was the winner of a contest in California:

The challenge was to create a anti smoking ad powerful enough to turn people off cigarettes without resorting to the gruesome imagery so prevalent in anti-smoking campaigns. With the help of a couple of dancers, an up-for-anything ad agency and hundreds of yards of Lycra, Los Angeles photographer Ricardo Marenco did just that.

“I wanted to evoke a sea of people trapped inside their addiction,” says Marenco, who created the shot for the California Department of Public Health’s billboard and print campaign. To achieve his desired effect, he photographed the dancers individually inside 7-foot-tall Lycra cigarettes. Then he digitally overlaid embers and smoke from real cigarettes on the figures. The ads ran without any words, only a helpline number — the image said it all.

But apparently, you have to be really gross for some people. Below is one of the images that came with the USC release. Why is it in Spanish (“garganta” means “throat”)? I guess because of this part of the release:

As a result of his work with colleagues from Mexico’s National Institute of Public Health, Mexico’s Minister of Health adopted their recommendations for which pictorial warnings to put on cigarette packages, which began circulating in September.

Thrasher, who has a joint research and faculty appointment with Mexico’s National Institute of Public Health, is also assessing what labels are the most convincing for low socioeconomic status groups…

How is Newt Gingrich like Alvin Greene?

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Slate examines the subject of whether Newt Gingrich is more than merely an excitable boy:

Is Newt Nuts?

Consider the symptoms: Bouts of grandiosity, megalomania, irritability, impulsiveness, spending sprees …

… We’re quick to describe politicians whose views we find extreme or whose behavior seems odd as “crazy,” and perhaps anyone who runs for president in some sense is. But I’ve long wondered whether Newt Gingrich merits that designation in a more clinical sense. I’m not a psychiatrist, of course, and it’s impossible to diagnose someone at a distance. Without medical records that he hasn’t released, we can’t know whether Gingrich may have inherited his mother’s manic depression. Nevertheless, one observes in the former House Speaker certain symptoms—bouts of grandiosity, megalomania, irritability, racing thoughts, spending sprees—that go beyond the ordinary politician’s normal narcissism.

One possibility is that Newt suffers, and benefits from, the milder affliction of hypomania. In his 2005 book The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (a Little) Craziness and (a Lot of) Success in America, John D. Gartner, a Johns Hopkins psychiatrist, argues that this form of extreme optimism explains the achievements of everyone from Christopher Columbus to Andrew Carnegie. Gartner writes: “Hypomanics are brimming with infectious energy, irrational confidence, and really big ideas. They think, talk, move, and make decisions quickly. Anyone who slows them down with questions ‘just doesn’t get it.’” Hypomanics lack discipline, act on impulse, suffer from over-confidence, and often lack judgment.

Is Newt delusional? Yes… except… the world keeps conforming itself to his delusions, making them reality.

I mean, he was crazy to run… I mean, come on, a guy with his baggage? But now he’s the frontrunner.

He had the same thing happen in the early 90s. He was the mad insurgent, the bomb-throwing back-bencher who thought he was born to rule — but he became speaker. The world changed in order to fit his megalomaniacal delusion.

It’s kind of like the Alvin Greene phenomenon. He was crazy to run, right? But he won. So who’s crazy?

I ripped off the Red Cross, but it was worth it

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I was pleased to see this release this morning:

University of South Carolina Victorious in 27th Annual Blood Drive

Columbia, S.C. — Carolina and Clemson wrapped up their 27th annual blood drive Friday, Nov. 18, resulting in a four-year consecutive win for the University of South Carolina over Clemson University. The 2011 Carolina-Clemson Blood Drive took place on both campuses Nov. 14-18 with students and fans casting votes for their favorite team by donating blood.

This year’s event resulted in 7,120 donors presenting to give blood, with Carolina donors totaling 4,079 and Clemson donors totaling 3,041. The University of South Carolina will be awarded the coveted blood drive trophy at the Carolina-Clemson football game Nov. 26 at Williams-Brice Stadium.

The Carolina-Clemson Blood Drive is held annually the week before the Carolina-Clemson football game. The drive comes at the start of the holiday season when the blood supply typically weakens. Over the past 26 years of competition, the universities have collected more than 90,000 units of blood, potentially saving more than 270,000 lives.

Eligible donors can still show their Gamecock or Tiger spirit and receive a commemorative Carolina-Clemson Blood Drive T-shirt by giving blood now through Nov. 27 at the following blood drives and at the American Red Cross Donation Center, 2751 Bull St., Columbia.

11/23 S.C. Dept. of Vocational Rehabilitation 1410 Boston Ave. 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. West Columbia
11/23 Lowman Home 2101 Dutch Fork Road 11:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. White Rock
11/23 Aiken Mall 2441 Whiskey Road South 2:00 PM 7:00 PM Aiken
11/25 Aiken Mall 2441 Whiskey Road South 11:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Aiken
11/25 Dutch Square Center 421 Bush River Road 1:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. Columbia
11/23 Sumter Masonic Lodge 215 Alice Drive 1:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. Sumter
11/26 Sumter Mall 1057 Broad Street 12:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Sumter
11/27 Corpus Christi Catholic Church 2350 Augusta Hwy. 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Lexington

Blood can be safely donated every 56 days. Most healthy people age 17 and older, or 16 with parental consent, who weigh at least 110 pounds, are eligible to donate blood. Donors who are 18 and younger must also meet height and weight requirements. Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org for more information.

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I was glad to see it because it made me feel a little better about what I did a couple of days ago…

A couple of weeks back, Mason Hardy — who was running the Columbia Rotary Club’s blood drive — gave me a long-sleeved T-shirt in anticipation of my giving blood later. I wasn’t going to be available the day of the actual drive (Nov. 1, the day I was busy with E.J. Dionne being in town), but I promised to do it later and let it count toward Rotary’s total. Mason gave me the shirt because he was worried he’d run out later.

It was a nice shirt — it’s the white one in the picture.

Of course, I promptly forgot to make an appointment to give. This happens, even to bloody Iron Men like me. But they hunted me down and called me to remind me, so I set the appointment, and showed up at 10 a.m. this past Thursday.

As I was signing in, the lady asked, “What size shirt?” I opened my mouth to say no, I already had mine, but then I saw how much nicer these shirts were. They were gray. I can’t explain it, but I have a weakness for gray T-shirts. And this one looked very tasteful.

“Large,” I said.

I clutched the acquisition guiltily to me as I went over to pretend to read that booklet of information I’ve read so many times before. I mean, I sort of read it. I looked to see that none of the headings had changed. I mean, I don’t care that my blood will be used in research. And I still have not spent more than three months in England or the Channel Islands between 1980 and 1996.

And I thought about all the reasons why it would be OK for me to keep this shirt. (It was too late to give the first one back, because I had warned it and washed it, so it was officially mine.) Such as:

I was giving double red cells, so that should be worth two shirts.

I had given many times without getting any kind of shirt.

OK, well, those are the only excuses I could think of.

The next day at lunch, I confessed to Lanier, Brian and Lora what I had done, and they told me it was OK; that I had done nothing wrong. Lanier even thought of another excuse: Every time I give, I write about it, and give the Red Cross all that publicity. So I had earned it.

True. But I couldn’t help thinking that when some addled drug addict commits a crime, his friends probably console him, saying things like, “You were doin’ that ol’ lady a favor, taking that heavy ol’ purse off her shoulder,” and “That liquor store was beggin’ to be robbed!”

I’m Catholic, you see, so you can’t say anything to make me feel totally OK about this. But still — I’m keeping the shirts. After all, a lot of Mafiosos are Catholic, too.

AARP survey shows support for entitlements

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I recently said that, of all the advocacy groups that set up shop in the runup to the primaries back in 2007, the only one to return seemed to be ONE.

But another, AARP, has launched its own effort. It’s not as visible as those red T-shirts that Samuel Tenenbaum and his cohorts wore on AARP’s behalf four years ago, but it’s now noticeable. I had meant to listen in on a press conference call the nonprofit was having this morning about a new survey, but didn’t get back to the office from a speaking engagement in time to pull that off. But I can share the release that went with it:

Likely Republican Voters in First-in-the-South South Carolina Primary
Want Social Security, Medicare Protected from Deficit Cuts
AARP Releases Survey and Launches 2012 Republican Caucus and Primary Video Voter’s Guide

Columbia, SC – AARP today released survey results showing that by nearly 3 to 1 (68.5 percent for Social Security, 70.5 percent for Medicare), likely Republican voters in the South Carolina GOP Primary overwhelmingly oppose cutting Social Security and Medicare benefits to reduce the deficit.

AARP’s GOP South Carolina Primary Survey highlights the major disconnect between  Washington  and Republican voters in South Carolina who will be critical in determining the next Republican Presidential nominee. While the Washington  talks about making a deal to cut Medicare and Social Security to meet their budget target, voters say they oppose cuts to the benefits they earned and need.  Almost 600,000 South Carolina seniors received Social Security in 2010 and accounts for nearly 63 percent of the typical older South Carolina residents own income. Over 99 percent of South Carolina seniors are enrolled in Medicare.

“The results demonstrate that strong majorities of supporters for every Republican presidential candidate oppose cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits,” said AARP South Carolina spokesman Patrick Cobb.  “Conservative South Carolina voters and voters who agree with the Tea Party oppose cuts to these programs. The message these voters are sending is clear:  Do not cut the Social Security and Medicare benefits they’ve earned.”

The survey interviewed 400 likely Republican primary voters (age 18+) in South Carolina with the mean age of 64 with 73.5 percent identifying themselves as “Conservative.”  Conducted by GS Strategy Group with funding from AARP, the research has a 4.90 percent margin of error.  Over 88 percent of voters said that Social Security benefits will be important to their monthly income in retirement and nearly all – 92.3 percent – say the strength and solvency of Medicare is essential to seniors’ health care security in retirement. When asked their preference on ways to cut government spending and reduce the deficit, respondents overwhelmingly say they prefer reducing U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan over cutting either Medicare or Social Security with 73.5 percent in favor of troop withdrawls to cut spending v. 8.5 percent preferring Medicare cuts, and 73.5 percent in favor of troop withdrawls v. 6.0 percent preferring Social Security cuts.

Respondents were asked which candidate they would vote for if the primary was held that day. The survey, conducted October 18-19, yielded the following results (by percentage):

·         Cain                            27.8 percent

·         Romney                      27.0 percent

·         Perry                          7.8 percent

·         Gingrich                     7.3 percent

·         Paul                            5.0 percent

·         Bachmann                  3.0 percent

·         Huntsman                  1.5 percent

·         Santorum                   1.3 percent

·         Undecided                  19.5 percent

AARP will provide information to its members and all Americans throughout the election season to help voters understand where the candidates stand on the issues that matter most to them and their families. As part of these efforts, AARP is launching its 2012 Republican Caucus and Primary Video Voters’ Guide on November 13.

The Video Voters’ Guide will feature one-on-one, unedited interviews with four of the top candidates on topics important to older voters, including: jobs and the economy, retirement security, Social Security and Medicare.  The video will be mailed to Republican voters in the five early nominating states and will be available to all AARP members and the general public on www.aarp.org/youearnedit<http://www.aarp.org/youearnedit>, as well as through the AARP Bulletin.

The guide will feature candidates who registered at 5 percent or higher in an average of national polls. They include Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Congressman Ron Paul and Texas Governor Rick Perry.  Former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain and Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney declined repeated invitations to participate. Mediacom Communications will air the Video Voter Guide in its entirety on Sunday, November 13 at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

For more information on the survey or the Video Voter’s’ Guide, please visit www.aarp.org/youearnedit<http://www.aarp.org/youearnedit>.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world’s largest-circulation magazine with nearly 35 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP’s millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP VIVA, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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Full disclosure: I am card-carrying member of the AARP, and the organization has advertised on this blog on more than one occasion.

Duke Endowment gives $11.25 million to HSSC

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Jay Moskowitz speaks at the news conference.

I am running through so much stuff today (most of it non-blog) that I don’t have time to say much about this very development, but it’s a big deal, that could lead — among other things — to real-time information being available statewide for doctors and hospitals to better treat their patients.

There was quite a crowd at the announcement, including Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt (the second of three times I would see him today; he was an active guy, too), and such other luminaries as ex-Spartanburg Mayor Bill Barnet and Minor Shaw President of the Micco Corporation, both members of the Duke Endowment board — as well as board chair L. Neil Williams of Atlanta — to give you an idea of how far people came to celebrate this important investment in health research and implementation in South Carolina:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 19, 2011

Health Sciences South Carolina lands an $11.25M grant from

The Duke Endowment

Major gift can result in health care innovation, boost economy, and translate into healthier citizens in SC.

Leaders from Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC), The Duke Endowment, and the state gathered in Columbia today to announce significant news for the future of health care in South Carolina. HSSC, a statewide biomedical research collaborative, has been selected to receive a major grant from The Duke Endowment totaling $11.25 million.

“This grant will help us continue to improve health, health care and health research in South Carolina,” said HSSC President and CEO Dr. Jay Moskowitz. “HSSC, through the support of The Duke Endowment, can translate research discoveries into improved delivery and care models and healthier lifestyles that will benefit not only South Carolinians, but all humanity.”
Today’s grant marks the second time that The Duke Endowment has invested in HSSC’s work. In 2006, HSSC received $21 million from The Duke Endowment, the largest grant for a health care initiative in the foundation’s history. As a result of The Duke Endowment grants, HSSC, through research grants and proposals, has brought another $50 million into South Carolina.

“From the beginning, Trustees of The Duke Endowment were impressed with Health Sciences South Carolina’s vision and commitment from its partner organizations to share knowledge and to work together,” said Neil Williams, chair of the Endowment’s Trustees. “Through this new investment, we believe South Carolina has a chance to bolster leading-edge programs and impact pressing health issues. It will help HSSC continue its vital role in making good health possible in South Carolina.”

The Duke Endowment funding will enable HSSC to build on its existing infrastructure and move in a new strategic direction focused both on research and on translating that research into better clinical care in all parts of the state.
For example, the grant will support HSSC in its efforts to continue to build and implement a health care information technology and clinical trials network in South Carolina. The central feature of this effort is a statewide clinical data warehouse, which will compile real-time clinical data from across HSSC’s collaborative hospitals. The statewide IT and clinical trials network not only will make research more efficient, but also will allow medical teams to use clinical data to make evidence-based decisions, resulting in better patient care. In addition, it will help South Carolina attract clinical trials, which can benefit patients and bring economic activity to the state.

Furthermore, the new funding will enable HSSC to improve the pace at which health care quality and patient safety innovations are integrated into practice in South Carolina. By translating research into clinical practice faster, HSSC believes it can significantly improve how some of the state’s most critical chronic diseases, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, are treated.

While the grant will help HSSC foster research and translate that research into better health care, it also can strengthen South Carolina’s economy by leading to the development of new products, new jobs and new industries. Additionally, with the support of the grant, HSSC can play a role in containing and reducing health care costs in South Carolina.

“In 2004, HSSC set out to develop a health care model that was unique in the U.S. and, through it, to improve the health of all South Carolinians,” Moskowitz said. “Through HSSC’s ongoing initiatives and the support of The Duke Endowment, we are realizing the promise of new treatments, methodologies, tools and discoveries. We believe that this grant, ultimately, will translate into healthier citizens in every part of South Carolina.”

About Health Sciences South Carolina

Established in April 2004, Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC) is a statewide public-private collaborative of research-intensive universities and major health systems possessing the shared vision of using health sciences research to improve the health, healthcare and economic wellbeing of South Carolina. HSSC includes Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, the University ofSouth Carolina, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, Palmetto Health, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, McLeod Health, Self Regional Healthcare and AnMed Health.

For more information, visit www.healthsciencessc.org.

About The Duke Endowment

The Duke Endowment, a private foundation in Charlotte, N.C., seeks to fulfill the legacy of James B. Duke by enriching lives and communities in the Carolinas through higher education, health care, rural churches and children’s services. Its founder is the same Duke behind Duke University and Duke Energy, but they are all separate organizations. Since its inception in 1924, the Endowment has awarded nearly $2.8 billion in grants. For more information, visit www.dukeendowment.org.

More than one of the business and research leaders present for the announcement later said it was good to see some of that North Carolina money flowing into South Carolina — particularly since that amount can move the needle here more than it can there.

Scenes from the Walk for Life

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First, my apologies — I didn’t organize a blog team to walk this year, and I’m sorry about that. It got away from me. No excuses.

But I registered at the last minute myself, and walked with my wife (the 10-year breast cancer survivor), the elder of my two sons, and two granddaughters. One thing about having a big family, you can put together a pickup team pretty quickly.

There were about 7,100 others walking with us (it seemed like more). The weather was beautiful — a bit chilly at first, but not once you got started — and the event raised half a million for the Palmetto Health Breast Center, according to The State.

Below are some views of the Walk.

Sen. Graham, ‘opting out’ would leave South Carolina with no options at all

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I’ve just been shaking my head ever since I read this release a day or two ago:

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) will hold a press conference tomorrow to discuss legislation they plan to introduce, the Medicaid Flexibility for States Act, which enables states to ‘Opt-out’ of the Medicaid expansion mandate included in Obama health care law.

And now they have introduced it.

Here’s the thing, Sen. Graham: The health care reform bill passed by Congress was far from perfect. This is thanks in part to your friend and mine (more your friend than mine, but I still respect you, him and John McCain as much as or more than anyone else in the Senate), Joe Lieberman, who blocked key provisions that could have made it more worthwhile.

But it might help. When fully implemented, it will offer some alternatives to depending upon overburdened employers for this benefit, and create at least the beginning of the kind of national pool insured that would make the most sense and benefit the most Americans. Oh, and to go back to the beginning of the sentence: “When fully implemented…” Neither you nor anyone else has even given this legislation a chance to either succeed or fail.

You’re fond of saying that “elections have consequences.” I agree, and always have. But so do votes of Congress. And while this falls far short of the kind of all-purpose nullification we’ve unfortunately seen revived over in the Legislature as our lawmakers have gone careening off into anachronistic extremism, it is still at the very least unseemly for you to be moving to exempt South Carolina from this national law. Yeah, I get that you think you are protecting South Carolina from something. But I submit that in protecting us from the bad effects that you anticipate, you would also be preventing us from receiving any benefit which you may not be able to see.

And since we desperately need something to broaden access to medical care, and you and I both know that the Legislature of this state is NOT going to do anything to help on its own — quite the contrary — it is unconscionable to try to prevent South Carolinians from reaping any such benefit.

For South Carolinians, this is it. There is no state solution. (I don’t believe any state can do it on its own, but set that aside; I know South Carolina won’t.) This is our only chance. If you “opt out” on our behalf, you’ve opted us out of any chance to get greater access to effective, affordable, portable health care.

Nikki and the HPV vaccine

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If you’ll recall, Nikki Haley got into trouble for sorta, kinda, trying to do the right thing: Save girls’ lives by getting them vaccinated against the papillomavirus that causes most cervical cancers. Until she realized it might not be a popular move with political extremists.

Here’s CNN’s recap:

Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) — As the debate over Texas Gov. Rick Perry mandating the HPV vaccine continues between Republican presidential candidates, a woman whose endorsement is coveted by all them, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, has her own complicated history on the issue.

In 2007, shortly before Perry issued an executive order requiring that schoolgirls be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, or HPV, that causes most cervical cancers, Haley was throwing her support behind a similar bill in South Carolina. At the time she was in her second term as a state representative.

State Rep. Joan Brady introduced the Cervical Cancer Prevention Act in South Carolina, and the Republican corralled more than 60 legislators, including Haley, to sponsor the bill. Unlike the executive order for which Perry is taking heat, this legislative mandate did not include a provision for parents to opt out of inoculating their daughters.

Within months, fierce opposition mounted, and legislative records back up accounts from sources who recall sponsors “dropping like flies” before a unanimous vote killed the bill on April 18, 2007.

More than a dozen legislators formally requested to be removed as sponsors from the bill, but the future governor of South Carolina was not one of them…

[State Rep. Kris] Crawford, a Republican, said he is not so sure.

“There are exactly two groups of people who can claim they were against this giant overreaching of government — those who never sponsored the bill and those who were sponsors but subsequently removed their names from the bill when it was explained to be a boondoggle mandating vaccination of little 12-year-old girls against a sexually transmitted disease,” Crawford said. “Everyone else was either for the bill or riding the fence trying to claim victory regardless of outcome.”…

This is a pattern we’ve seen, of course — one in which our young governor blunders into a situation, can’t decide which is the safest political course for her, hunkers down and hopes to survive it, whatever happens to everybody else. By being on both sides, she hopes eventually to be on the winning side, and have some credit splash on her. It’s worked for her so far. As you’ll note, CNN is still calling her a “rising star.” Really.

But even some of the national media are starting to notice things.

Portrait of America on the 10th anniversary

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OK, so I shot this on the day before 9/11/11, and I’m posting in on the day after, but I think it still works. I’m thinking this view of Charleston was pretty similar on Sunday.

This was something I shot spontaneously while waiting for traffic to move, coming out of a side street onto King Street in the Holy City on Saturday afternoon. I didn’t think much about it at the time. The image just seemed worth grabbing.

Not until late last night did I happen to see it on my phone, and really like it. I tried to post it then, while it was still 9/11, but I had trouble with my Internet connection. Eventually I went to bed.

But here it is now. How does it strike you? (Try clicking on it to blow it up and get the full effect of the blue and the gleaming buildings and the flag setting them off.)

So have y’all had enough Nikki Haley yet? If not, I’m sure there’s plenty more comin’ atcha…

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Just thought I’d ask because of stuff like this:

No thanks: Haley to reject fed health exchange funds

By GINA SMITH – [email protected]

Gov. Nikki Haley said she will let federal deadlines slip by and not accept millions in federal funds to help South Carolina set up its own health insurance exchange.

Health insurance exchanges, the centerpiece of federal health care reform, are online marketplaces, to be set up by each state, where the uninsured could compare insurance plans from private insurance companies and buy the one that best fits their needs. Uninsured people who meet certain federal poverty guidelines could buy coverage using federal tax credits.

The exchanges are scheduled to open in 2014 when the health care law goes into full effect. If a state has not made progress by Jan. 1, 2013, the federal government will step in.

But Haley and Tony Keck, whom Haley appointed to head the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, say the federal plan is not the right fit for South Carolina.

“The governor remains an equal opportunity opponent of ObamaCare, the spending disaster that South Carolina does not want and cannot afford,” said Rob Godfrey, Haley’s spokesman. “She and Tony Keck are focused on finding South Carolina solutions that provide our state with the most health at the least cost.”

What utter… never mind. Let’s move to our next slice of madness:

Haley on getting a photo ID: We’ll pick you up

By Seanna Adcox – Associated Press

COLUMBIA — Gov. Nikki Haley’s invitation Wednesday to voters who lack the photo ID necessary to vote under South Carolina’s new law echoed a rental car slogan.

“We’re picking you up,” she said.

The Department of Motor Vehicles has set aside Wednesday, Sept. 28, for anyone who needs a ride. Voters who lack transportation can call a toll-free number to arrange a pickup from a DMV employee, Haley said…

That one has been mocked by both Will Folks and Rachel Maddow (which is quite a range), and a whole lot of folks in between. And of course, when national TV gets involved, the whole state gets tarred (see video above):

Does the implementation of that law immediately make you think of 19th-century civil rights violations? Two, does the federal government have to step in to protect people’s rights? And three, does the governor have to make a pledge to personally attend to the transportation needs of every single state resident? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you just might be a South Carolinian…

And to dig back a few days, don’t forget this:

Gov. Nikki Haley and State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais repeated Monday they will not seek additional federal money for S.C. schools.

The recently elected Republican leaders emphasized their opposition after education groups said lawmakers should seek the money to save teachers’ jobs and create new education programs.

Just thought I’d check your attitudes on the pattern. If you detect one. If not, what are your thoughts on this “disconnected series of events?”

Don’t wait for the hurricane. Give blood now, and whenever you can, for that matter

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Actually, it’s always a good time to give blood, and one of our problems around here is that we don’t give enough in non-crisis times. But that doesn’t mean the red stuff isn’t urgently needed when things go off the rails.

While the hurricane prognosis for SC may be looking better, the Red Cross is about being prepared. (Or is that the Boy Scouts? In any case, it’s a good idea.) Here’s the latest appeal:

Red Cross Urges Blood Donations Prior to Hurricane’s Arrival

COLUMBIA, S.C.—As individuals in the Southeast begin to prepare for the possible impact of Hurricane Irene, the American Red Cross is urging immediate blood donations prior to the storm’s arrival.

“It’s the blood that is already on the shelves that helps save lives before, during and after a disaster,” stated Delisa English, chief executive officer for the South Carolina Blood Services Region. “We are still working to stabilize the blood supply after our summer shortages. If people will donate blood immediately, before the storm, then blood will be available in the aftermath should conditions prohibit people from traveling or coming to blood drives.”

Across the country, blood centers are struggling to keep pace with demand. Nationwide, around 39,000 blood donations are needed each and every day to meet the needs of accident victims, cancer patients, and children with blood disorders. These patients and others rely on blood products during their treatment.  When disaster strikes, this need does not diminish, even though blood donors may find it difficult or impossible to get to a convenient donation opportunity.  Also, if collections are negatively impacted by a disaster, the long-term care needs of these patients could be affected.

“Don’t wait until after the storm to donate,” urged English. “The time to help is now.”

Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission), meet weight and height requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height) and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood.

To schedule an appointment or locate a nearby blood drive, call 1-800-RED CROSS (733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org.

Donation centers and upcoming blood drives in your area:

Columbia Donation Center

2751 Bull St.

Columbia, S.C. 29201

Blood donation hours:
Monday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Tuesday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Wednesday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Thursday: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Saturday: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Platelet donation hours:
Sunday: 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Monday: 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Tuesday: 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Wednesday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Thursday: 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Friday: 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Saturday: 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Sumter Donation Center

1155 N Guignard Dr.

Sumter, S.C. 29150

Blood donation hours:

Monday: noon-6:30 p.m.
Tuesday: noon-6:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Thursday: noon-6:30 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

8/24 Aiken Mall 2441 Whiskey Road South Aiken 2:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
8/24 Mancor 397A Hwy. 601 South Lugoff 11:00 a.m. 4:30 p.m.
8/26 Swansea High School 500 E. First St. Swansea 8:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
8/27 Olive Gove Missionary Baptist Church 305 Old Elloree Road Orangeburg 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m.
8/27 Sumter Mall 1057 Broad St. Sumter 12:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.
8/28 Our Lady Of The Hills Catholic Church 120 Marydale Lane Columbia 8:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m.

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Have done so recently, I can’t give yet. But maybe you can.

Nekkid woman on the corner in Colatown

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WIS says this picture was taken by Jessica Saleeby.

The problem with PETA is…

OK, one of the problems with PETA is… they’re so desperate to get your attention that you miss the point they’re trying to make.

Such as today, when a young woman showered naked on a corner in Five Points. Here’s a report from WIS:

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – Two women from the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are showering nude on a street corner in Columbia today to highlight how they believe consuming water and adopting a vegan lifestyle helps the environment.

The naked women are showering behind a banner that reads, “Clean Your Conscience: Go Vegan! 1 lb. of Meat Equals 6 Months of Showers” at lunchtime in the heart of Five Points on Thursday.

PETA says it wants consumers to know that the best way to conserve water and to help the environment is to go vegan.

According to the group, going vegan is an “easy way to cut down on personal water usage, and it’s the best thing that anyone can do to help stop animal suffering.”…

No, it never explains the connection between meat and showering. So, the point is lost. There’s probably some sort of explanation somewhere, but we don’t know what it is at this point…

But hey, did you hear there was a naked chick on the corner in Five Points today?…

Code Orange: Baby, can you feel the ozone?

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Actually, I think I can, slightly. Went to Starbucks just now to get me a nice, piping-hot Pike to see me through the afternoon and evening, and checked the weather on my phone on the way in. It was 103, and “felt like” 105. Fortunately, my suit jacket was summer-weight. I’m not going to overdress for the weather or anything. My Mama didn’t raise no fools.

It didn’t feel that oppressive, though. Seemed like a crisp, clean sort of heat. But there may be something to this warning, which went a bit beyond the usual “heat advisory:”

…AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 9 PM TODAY…   THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL HAS ISSUED AN AIR QUALITY ACTION DAY…IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 9 PM TODAY.   A CODE ORANGE AIR QUALITY ALERT FOR OZONE HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE CENTRAL MIDLANDS REGION. THIS MEANS THAT GROUND LEVEL-OZONE CONCENTRATIONS WITHIN THE REGION WILL LIKELY EXCEED UNHEALTHY STANDARDS FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS.   CODE ORANGE MEANS ACTIVE CHILDREN AND ADULTS…AND PEOPLE WITH RESPIRATORY DISEASE…SUCH AS ASTHMA…SHOULD LIMIT PROLONGED OUTDOOR EXERTION.

As it happened, by the time I got back to the office after making one other stop, in and out and in and out of air-conditioning, I felt a bit tight. No, not tight like too much to drink, tight the way asthma comes on — a slight constriction in the bronchi. Which is unusual these days, with the drugs I take. Normally totally under control.

No big deal. The hot caffeine has already taken care of it. But you can see how this would be bad for anyone with a real problem.

Did you feel it at all — any difficulty in breathing today?

Another chance to give blood

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In case you were unable to give blood at the last blood drive I told you about, here’s another chance:

“Count on WIS” Blood Drive at Four Locations on One Day

Columbia, S.C. — The American Red Cross and WIS News 10 invite blood donors to become a hero for patients in need this summer by giving the “gift of life” at the “Count on WIS” blood drive Friday, Aug. 5. The event kicks off at 7 a.m. at the WIS studios on the corner of Bull and Gervais Streets. At 10 a.m., the Red Cross will start collecting blood at the following three other sites:

Dutch Square Center

421 Bush River Road, Columbia

Village at Sandhill

Community Room (near JC Penney)

499 Town Center Place, Columbia

Sumter Mall

1057 Broad St., Sumter

The blood drive ends at 6 p.m. at all four sites. To schedule an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code: WIS or call 1-800-RED CROSS (733-2767). Walk-ins are welcome.

All presenting donors will have a chance to win lunch with members of the WIS News 10 team plus attend a live noon broadcast at theWIS studios. In addition, donors will also receive a Red Cross T-shirt and an Edible Arrangements coupon for a free box of six pieces of chocolate dipped fruit.  Donors will also be entered in a drawing for a chance to win one of four T-shirts signed by WIS personalities.

The radio stations of Citadel Broadcasting in Columbia and Miller Communications in Sumter have partnered with the Red Cross and WISas co-sponsors of the blood drive.

The “Count on WIS” blood drive comes at an ideal time to boost blood donations as it is often difficult to collect enough blood to meet the needs of patients during the summer months. With schools out and families on vacation, it’s even more important that those who are eligible to donate come forward to give the gift of life.

In addition, the American Red Cross has issued an appeal for blood donors of all types due to a critical blood shortage across our nation. In May and June, while demand for blood products remained steady, donations were at the lowest level the Red Cross has seen during this timeframe in over a dozen years.

Because of that, the Red Cross needs blood donors now more than ever. All types are needed, but especially O negative, which can be used to treat any patient.

The American Red Cross South Carolina Blood Services Region provides lifesaving blood to 54 hospitals and must have 500 people give blood and platelets each weekday to meet hospital demand.  Accident victims as well as patients with cancer, sickle cell disease, blood disorders and other illnesses receive lifesaving transfusions every day. There is no substitute for blood and volunteer donors are the only source.

Blood can be safely donated every 56 days.  Platelets can be given safely every two weeks, up to 24 times a year. Most healthy people age 17 and older, 16 with parental consent, who weigh at least 110 pounds, are eligible to donate blood and platelets.  Donors who are 18 and younger must also meet specific height and weight requirements.

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