Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
eavesdropper
Participant[quote=Allan from Fallbrook]
Eavesdropper: First off, you need to post more. Not only because you generally agree with me, but because you represent an intelligent, fairly middle-of-the-road voice, and that offers balance to the Left versus Right jousting that these threads usually descend into.[/quote]
Allan, I recently returned to school on a fulltime basis, and, at my advanced age, have to devote about three times the recommended amount to studying. Pigg’s is my guilty pleasure, one in which I will sometimes indulge at week’s end, when I take a bit of a break. I have to be careful: there’s always so much of interest going on here, and, before I know it, I’m in panic mode cramming for an exam because I stayed too long on the site.
But I’m a hopeless Pigg’s addict, and not planning on entering detox anytime soon.
[quote=Allan from Fallbrook]
That said and ceteris paribus, [/quote]See, this is part of the problem. I mentioned in an earlier post that, since I started Pigg’surfing, my cocktail party conversation abilities have become quite impressive due to the superior vocabulary skills demonstrated by Pigg’s habitues. I can’t help myself: I’m a sucker for linguistic porn.
[quote=Allan from Fallbrook]
… we also need to get our shit together: Individually, collectively and as a nation. We’ve turned into a bunch of hand-wringing, ineffective, frightened children who are now conditioned to turn to our Big Mommy/Daddy Gubment to fix all woes, whether its the “War on Terror” (don’t get me started), or this bungled and bungling Gulf crisis. If the latter does nothing else, it should dispel the notion that corporations have a heart and are capable and that Big Government is not the easy answer when things go wrong.[/quote]I concur. I’ve gone through some rough times in my life, and also had my share of good times. Right now, I’m fortunate enough to be experiencing the latter, but life has taught me that this could change in a second. And why not? So far as I know, no one that has ever walked this earth was born on a bed of roses with a lifelong warranty. Bad shit happens. Even to really good people. And when the shit hits the fan, it’s not necessarily evenly distributed – ergo, life isn’t f**king fair.
There is a serious overabundance of “tough talk” these days. In reality, it’s plain and simple rudeness by people who are frustrated with the perceived shortcomings of their lives, and are looking for someone – anyone but themselves – to blame. They extoll the virtues of our founding fathers, utilizing quotes that said fathers never uttered. They complain bitterly about the tyrannical government who is violating their constitutional rights, but can’t name a single one. They boast of their independent spirit, but listen breathlessly to talk radio as they drive their Ford Super-Duty dually trucks to the bank to cash their Social Security Disability Income checks. And call me an America-hating coward and traitor when I dare to question one of their statements or correct their “facts”.
I fervently hope that you are correct about us getting our heads out of our asses. Aside from the fact that the phrase engenders a truly disturbing and unpleasant mental picture, doing so is essential to our future as a nation. But I don’t have your hope and optimism. After all, we have a huge number of citizens who apparently lack the critical thinking skills necessary to see that taking advantage of the entitlement programs that are part of massive government debt they are protesting is at odds with the political philosophy they are espousing. Despite their protests, they don’t seem to realize that the freedom our nation enjoys is a rare and precious gift, paid for with the blood of our ancestors, who despite their individual philosophies and concerns, managed to pull together long enough to fight off the true threats to that freedom.
In the meantime, these people need to stop writing checks with their mouths that their asses can’t cash. If they think that the government is too big, too into their business, too restrictive, and tyrannical to boot, they SHOULD go ahead and denounce them. In the meantime, however, they should give up their Social Security, give up their disability, forego their government-sponsored health care, take in their elderly relatives, and pay for their kids’ education. And if any of their loved ones get sick, they can have them treated to the extent of their abilities and bankbooks, and accept the inevitable if the treatment is not successful. It can be done. Yes, it will be tough. But tough is what these rebels are all about, right?
Participant[quote=Aecetia]Helen Thomas was her usual jovial self, too. “When are you going to get out of Afghanistan? Why are we continuing to kill and die there? What is the real excuse and don’t give us this Bushism ‘if we don’t go there they’ll all come here.'”[/quote]
I LIKE Helen. Of course, I’m old enough to remember her “greatest hits” from several administrations, so that may explain her appeal.
I think that they should get rid of Robert Gibbs, and make Helen the White House press secretary. Certainly there’d never be a dull moment.
Participant[quote=Aecetia]Helen Thomas was her usual jovial self, too. “When are you going to get out of Afghanistan? Why are we continuing to kill and die there? What is the real excuse and don’t give us this Bushism ‘if we don’t go there they’ll all come here.'”[/quote]
I LIKE Helen. Of course, I’m old enough to remember her “greatest hits” from several administrations, so that may explain her appeal.
I think that they should get rid of Robert Gibbs, and make Helen the White House press secretary. Certainly there’d never be a dull moment.
Participant[quote=Aecetia]Helen Thomas was her usual jovial self, too. “When are you going to get out of Afghanistan? Why are we continuing to kill and die there? What is the real excuse and don’t give us this Bushism ‘if we don’t go there they’ll all come here.'”[/quote]
I LIKE Helen. Of course, I’m old enough to remember her “greatest hits” from several administrations, so that may explain her appeal.
I think that they should get rid of Robert Gibbs, and make Helen the White House press secretary. Certainly there’d never be a dull moment.
Participant[quote=Aecetia]Helen Thomas was her usual jovial self, too. “When are you going to get out of Afghanistan? Why are we continuing to kill and die there? What is the real excuse and don’t give us this Bushism ‘if we don’t go there they’ll all come here.'”[/quote]
I LIKE Helen. Of course, I’m old enough to remember her “greatest hits” from several administrations, so that may explain her appeal.
I think that they should get rid of Robert Gibbs, and make Helen the White House press secretary. Certainly there’d never be a dull moment.
Participant[quote=Aecetia]Helen Thomas was her usual jovial self, too. “When are you going to get out of Afghanistan? Why are we continuing to kill and die there? What is the real excuse and don’t give us this Bushism ‘if we don’t go there they’ll all come here.'”[/quote]
I LIKE Helen. Of course, I’m old enough to remember her “greatest hits” from several administrations, so that may explain her appeal.
I think that they should get rid of Robert Gibbs, and make Helen the White House press secretary. Certainly there’d never be a dull moment.
Participant[quote=Allan from Fallbrook] Jim: I frankly don’t know. In light of the Bush/FEMA/Katrina fiasco (and I say that from a PR standpoint, in that I hold the New Orleans first responders and the State of Louisiana primarily responsible for the God-awful handling of that crisis), I would have thought the Obama Machine would have been way out in front of this thing. They’re not, and with every day that passes, the perception of dithering, ineptitude, and incompetence increases.
I’ve caught the Sestak imbroglio only in passing, so I cannot comment there, but was frankly taken aback during the Obama presser by how scattered he appeared. The Left has gone to great lengths to paint Obama as cerebral, but disciplined and capable, and I’m not seeing that.
Shit, things have to be bad when freakin’ Tom Friedman turns on you![/quote]
Ha! I like your last sentence, Allan, even though I’m not necessarily in full agreement with you. Truthfully, I think that Tom’s column is simply a contractual obligation: the Times requires him to take umbrage with Obama four times a year, with abundant demonstrations of outrage, no matter the political atmosphere. In all honesty, while I believe that the oil spill will create unprecedented environmental damage to the Gulf Coast region, and beyond, and severe financial hardship to many of those who live and work there, I think that Mr. Friedman was reaching a little in stating that Obama had missed an opportunity to energize American citizens, and lead them into a charge against oil dependence.
However, I do agree completely that he DID miss an opportunity – a political one. While I’m not convinced that most Americans are champing at the bit in their intense desire to fight our oil dependence – in fact, I think a great many of our citizens are overwhelmingly convinced that “oil dependence” is a dastardly lie being perpetuated by the intellectual elite, who are trying to hide the well-known fact that oil supplies are infinite – it is much easier to push a political prerogative when visions of oil-slicks, ruined coastline, and lots of dead waterfowl are the pages and airwaves of the media.
You’re spot-on with your analysis of the performance of the Administration. This has been going on from the first month of the presidency. At first, I thought that it was the White House staff and Administration officials (which is not, in any way, an attempt to excuse Obama, as they were selected by him). In his first year, it appeared that they were making most of the bumbling moves, while he kind of lingered in the background, only to emerge at the last minute with a decisive move or inspiring speech. But he seems to have run out of steam since the end of the health care battle. And don’t let me get started on the Sestak thing.
I don’t think it that the President and his administration fail to take opportunities as much as they fail to recognize them. I’m an independent voter: I can, at times, demonstrate leanings that appear to be clearly liberal or downright conservative, depending on the particular issue (in short, I’ve always got people pissed off at me). For the past ten years, I’ve felt, very strongly, that those running the Democratic Party have no clue as to what’s going on with the middle class citizenry of this country. So when “opportunities” present themselves, the Democrat power structure simply doesn’t recognize them as such. I cannot believe the cluelessness of these people.
I’m not excusing the Republicans. I’m in awe of their skill in gauging the concerns and frustrations of the American people. The problem is that they exploit this, without any intention of providing relief. They get people worked up over government overspending, over taxes, over “death panels”. Then they head into the Senate and House chambers, and it’s business as usual. And I don’t buy into the “Tea Party” at all. Not only aren’t they organized worth a damn, I believe that many of them are right-wing extremists trying to force the Republican Party they belong to into ultra-restrictive far-right views. And force-feeding us Sarah Palin in the process.
Allan, please tell me there’s hope. You can lie to me, if necessary. I’m used to it – I’ve been voting for many years.
Participant[quote=Allan from Fallbrook] Jim: I frankly don’t know. In light of the Bush/FEMA/Katrina fiasco (and I say that from a PR standpoint, in that I hold the New Orleans first responders and the State of Louisiana primarily responsible for the God-awful handling of that crisis), I would have thought the Obama Machine would have been way out in front of this thing. They’re not, and with every day that passes, the perception of dithering, ineptitude, and incompetence increases.
I’ve caught the Sestak imbroglio only in passing, so I cannot comment there, but was frankly taken aback during the Obama presser by how scattered he appeared. The Left has gone to great lengths to paint Obama as cerebral, but disciplined and capable, and I’m not seeing that.
Shit, things have to be bad when freakin’ Tom Friedman turns on you![/quote]
Ha! I like your last sentence, Allan, even though I’m not necessarily in full agreement with you. Truthfully, I think that Tom’s column is simply a contractual obligation: the Times requires him to take umbrage with Obama four times a year, with abundant demonstrations of outrage, no matter the political atmosphere. In all honesty, while I believe that the oil spill will create unprecedented environmental damage to the Gulf Coast region, and beyond, and severe financial hardship to many of those who live and work there, I think that Mr. Friedman was reaching a little in stating that Obama had missed an opportunity to energize American citizens, and lead them into a charge against oil dependence.
However, I do agree completely that he DID miss an opportunity – a political one. While I’m not convinced that most Americans are champing at the bit in their intense desire to fight our oil dependence – in fact, I think a great many of our citizens are overwhelmingly convinced that “oil dependence” is a dastardly lie being perpetuated by the intellectual elite, who are trying to hide the well-known fact that oil supplies are infinite – it is much easier to push a political prerogative when visions of oil-slicks, ruined coastline, and lots of dead waterfowl are the pages and airwaves of the media.
You’re spot-on with your analysis of the performance of the Administration. This has been going on from the first month of the presidency. At first, I thought that it was the White House staff and Administration officials (which is not, in any way, an attempt to excuse Obama, as they were selected by him). In his first year, it appeared that they were making most of the bumbling moves, while he kind of lingered in the background, only to emerge at the last minute with a decisive move or inspiring speech. But he seems to have run out of steam since the end of the health care battle. And don’t let me get started on the Sestak thing.
I don’t think it that the President and his administration fail to take opportunities as much as they fail to recognize them. I’m an independent voter: I can, at times, demonstrate leanings that appear to be clearly liberal or downright conservative, depending on the particular issue (in short, I’ve always got people pissed off at me). For the past ten years, I’ve felt, very strongly, that those running the Democratic Party have no clue as to what’s going on with the middle class citizenry of this country. So when “opportunities” present themselves, the Democrat power structure simply doesn’t recognize them as such. I cannot believe the cluelessness of these people.
I’m not excusing the Republicans. I’m in awe of their skill in gauging the concerns and frustrations of the American people. The problem is that they exploit this, without any intention of providing relief. They get people worked up over government overspending, over taxes, over “death panels”. Then they head into the Senate and House chambers, and it’s business as usual. And I don’t buy into the “Tea Party” at all. Not only aren’t they organized worth a damn, I believe that many of them are right-wing extremists trying to force the Republican Party they belong to into ultra-restrictive far-right views. And force-feeding us Sarah Palin in the process.
Allan, please tell me there’s hope. You can lie to me, if necessary. I’m used to it – I’ve been voting for many years.
Participant[quote=Allan from Fallbrook] Jim: I frankly don’t know. In light of the Bush/FEMA/Katrina fiasco (and I say that from a PR standpoint, in that I hold the New Orleans first responders and the State of Louisiana primarily responsible for the God-awful handling of that crisis), I would have thought the Obama Machine would have been way out in front of this thing. They’re not, and with every day that passes, the perception of dithering, ineptitude, and incompetence increases.
I’ve caught the Sestak imbroglio only in passing, so I cannot comment there, but was frankly taken aback during the Obama presser by how scattered he appeared. The Left has gone to great lengths to paint Obama as cerebral, but disciplined and capable, and I’m not seeing that.
Shit, things have to be bad when freakin’ Tom Friedman turns on you![/quote]
Ha! I like your last sentence, Allan, even though I’m not necessarily in full agreement with you. Truthfully, I think that Tom’s column is simply a contractual obligation: the Times requires him to take umbrage with Obama four times a year, with abundant demonstrations of outrage, no matter the political atmosphere. In all honesty, while I believe that the oil spill will create unprecedented environmental damage to the Gulf Coast region, and beyond, and severe financial hardship to many of those who live and work there, I think that Mr. Friedman was reaching a little in stating that Obama had missed an opportunity to energize American citizens, and lead them into a charge against oil dependence.
However, I do agree completely that he DID miss an opportunity – a political one. While I’m not convinced that most Americans are champing at the bit in their intense desire to fight our oil dependence – in fact, I think a great many of our citizens are overwhelmingly convinced that “oil dependence” is a dastardly lie being perpetuated by the intellectual elite, who are trying to hide the well-known fact that oil supplies are infinite – it is much easier to push a political prerogative when visions of oil-slicks, ruined coastline, and lots of dead waterfowl are the pages and airwaves of the media.
You’re spot-on with your analysis of the performance of the Administration. This has been going on from the first month of the presidency. At first, I thought that it was the White House staff and Administration officials (which is not, in any way, an attempt to excuse Obama, as they were selected by him). In his first year, it appeared that they were making most of the bumbling moves, while he kind of lingered in the background, only to emerge at the last minute with a decisive move or inspiring speech. But he seems to have run out of steam since the end of the health care battle. And don’t let me get started on the Sestak thing.
I don’t think it that the President and his administration fail to take opportunities as much as they fail to recognize them. I’m an independent voter: I can, at times, demonstrate leanings that appear to be clearly liberal or downright conservative, depending on the particular issue (in short, I’ve always got people pissed off at me). For the past ten years, I’ve felt, very strongly, that those running the Democratic Party have no clue as to what’s going on with the middle class citizenry of this country. So when “opportunities” present themselves, the Democrat power structure simply doesn’t recognize them as such. I cannot believe the cluelessness of these people.
I’m not excusing the Republicans. I’m in awe of their skill in gauging the concerns and frustrations of the American people. The problem is that they exploit this, without any intention of providing relief. They get people worked up over government overspending, over taxes, over “death panels”. Then they head into the Senate and House chambers, and it’s business as usual. And I don’t buy into the “Tea Party” at all. Not only aren’t they organized worth a damn, I believe that many of them are right-wing extremists trying to force the Republican Party they belong to into ultra-restrictive far-right views. And force-feeding us Sarah Palin in the process.
Allan, please tell me there’s hope. You can lie to me, if necessary. I’m used to it – I’ve been voting for many years.
Participant[quote=Allan from Fallbrook] Jim: I frankly don’t know. In light of the Bush/FEMA/Katrina fiasco (and I say that from a PR standpoint, in that I hold the New Orleans first responders and the State of Louisiana primarily responsible for the God-awful handling of that crisis), I would have thought the Obama Machine would have been way out in front of this thing. They’re not, and with every day that passes, the perception of dithering, ineptitude, and incompetence increases.
I’ve caught the Sestak imbroglio only in passing, so I cannot comment there, but was frankly taken aback during the Obama presser by how scattered he appeared. The Left has gone to great lengths to paint Obama as cerebral, but disciplined and capable, and I’m not seeing that.
Shit, things have to be bad when freakin’ Tom Friedman turns on you![/quote]
Ha! I like your last sentence, Allan, even though I’m not necessarily in full agreement with you. Truthfully, I think that Tom’s column is simply a contractual obligation: the Times requires him to take umbrage with Obama four times a year, with abundant demonstrations of outrage, no matter the political atmosphere. In all honesty, while I believe that the oil spill will create unprecedented environmental damage to the Gulf Coast region, and beyond, and severe financial hardship to many of those who live and work there, I think that Mr. Friedman was reaching a little in stating that Obama had missed an opportunity to energize American citizens, and lead them into a charge against oil dependence.
However, I do agree completely that he DID miss an opportunity – a political one. While I’m not convinced that most Americans are champing at the bit in their intense desire to fight our oil dependence – in fact, I think a great many of our citizens are overwhelmingly convinced that “oil dependence” is a dastardly lie being perpetuated by the intellectual elite, who are trying to hide the well-known fact that oil supplies are infinite – it is much easier to push a political prerogative when visions of oil-slicks, ruined coastline, and lots of dead waterfowl are the pages and airwaves of the media.
You’re spot-on with your analysis of the performance of the Administration. This has been going on from the first month of the presidency. At first, I thought that it was the White House staff and Administration officials (which is not, in any way, an attempt to excuse Obama, as they were selected by him). In his first year, it appeared that they were making most of the bumbling moves, while he kind of lingered in the background, only to emerge at the last minute with a decisive move or inspiring speech. But he seems to have run out of steam since the end of the health care battle. And don’t let me get started on the Sestak thing.
I don’t think it that the President and his administration fail to take opportunities as much as they fail to recognize them. I’m an independent voter: I can, at times, demonstrate leanings that appear to be clearly liberal or downright conservative, depending on the particular issue (in short, I’ve always got people pissed off at me). For the past ten years, I’ve felt, very strongly, that those running the Democratic Party have no clue as to what’s going on with the middle class citizenry of this country. So when “opportunities” present themselves, the Democrat power structure simply doesn’t recognize them as such. I cannot believe the cluelessness of these people.
I’m not excusing the Republicans. I’m in awe of their skill in gauging the concerns and frustrations of the American people. The problem is that they exploit this, without any intention of providing relief. They get people worked up over government overspending, over taxes, over “death panels”. Then they head into the Senate and House chambers, and it’s business as usual. And I don’t buy into the “Tea Party” at all. Not only aren’t they organized worth a damn, I believe that many of them are right-wing extremists trying to force the Republican Party they belong to into ultra-restrictive far-right views. And force-feeding us Sarah Palin in the process.
Allan, please tell me there’s hope. You can lie to me, if necessary. I’m used to it – I’ve been voting for many years.
Participant[quote=Allan from Fallbrook] Jim: I frankly don’t know. In light of the Bush/FEMA/Katrina fiasco (and I say that from a PR standpoint, in that I hold the New Orleans first responders and the State of Louisiana primarily responsible for the God-awful handling of that crisis), I would have thought the Obama Machine would have been way out in front of this thing. They’re not, and with every day that passes, the perception of dithering, ineptitude, and incompetence increases.
I’ve caught the Sestak imbroglio only in passing, so I cannot comment there, but was frankly taken aback during the Obama presser by how scattered he appeared. The Left has gone to great lengths to paint Obama as cerebral, but disciplined and capable, and I’m not seeing that.
Shit, things have to be bad when freakin’ Tom Friedman turns on you![/quote]
Ha! I like your last sentence, Allan, even though I’m not necessarily in full agreement with you. Truthfully, I think that Tom’s column is simply a contractual obligation: the Times requires him to take umbrage with Obama four times a year, with abundant demonstrations of outrage, no matter the political atmosphere. In all honesty, while I believe that the oil spill will create unprecedented environmental damage to the Gulf Coast region, and beyond, and severe financial hardship to many of those who live and work there, I think that Mr. Friedman was reaching a little in stating that Obama had missed an opportunity to energize American citizens, and lead them into a charge against oil dependence.
However, I do agree completely that he DID miss an opportunity – a political one. While I’m not convinced that most Americans are champing at the bit in their intense desire to fight our oil dependence – in fact, I think a great many of our citizens are overwhelmingly convinced that “oil dependence” is a dastardly lie being perpetuated by the intellectual elite, who are trying to hide the well-known fact that oil supplies are infinite – it is much easier to push a political prerogative when visions of oil-slicks, ruined coastline, and lots of dead waterfowl are the pages and airwaves of the media.
You’re spot-on with your analysis of the performance of the Administration. This has been going on from the first month of the presidency. At first, I thought that it was the White House staff and Administration officials (which is not, in any way, an attempt to excuse Obama, as they were selected by him). In his first year, it appeared that they were making most of the bumbling moves, while he kind of lingered in the background, only to emerge at the last minute with a decisive move or inspiring speech. But he seems to have run out of steam since the end of the health care battle. And don’t let me get started on the Sestak thing.
I don’t think it that the President and his administration fail to take opportunities as much as they fail to recognize them. I’m an independent voter: I can, at times, demonstrate leanings that appear to be clearly liberal or downright conservative, depending on the particular issue (in short, I’ve always got people pissed off at me). For the past ten years, I’ve felt, very strongly, that those running the Democratic Party have no clue as to what’s going on with the middle class citizenry of this country. So when “opportunities” present themselves, the Democrat power structure simply doesn’t recognize them as such. I cannot believe the cluelessness of these people.
I’m not excusing the Republicans. I’m in awe of their skill in gauging the concerns and frustrations of the American people. The problem is that they exploit this, without any intention of providing relief. They get people worked up over government overspending, over taxes, over “death panels”. Then they head into the Senate and House chambers, and it’s business as usual. And I don’t buy into the “Tea Party” at all. Not only aren’t they organized worth a damn, I believe that many of them are right-wing extremists trying to force the Republican Party they belong to into ultra-restrictive far-right views. And force-feeding us Sarah Palin in the process.
Allan, please tell me there’s hope. You can lie to me, if necessary. I’m used to it – I’ve been voting for many years.
ParticipantHiggyBaby, the identification of a true cancer “cluster” in a particular geographic area is a rare occurrence. To the average layperson, the 150 cases of cancer in the stated 3-mile radius over a three-year period would appear to qualify as a cluster. Keep in mind, however, that this figure includes many types of cancer, and while all cancers are characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells, the similarities end there. For all intents and purposes, “cancer” is a hundred completely different diseases, each with its own symptoms, treatments, and prognoses, and all arising from a combination of genetic, molecular, and environmental causes.
The number of cases in Carlsbad is well within normal limits as set forth by epidemiology experts. This does not mean that a cancer cluster, or concomitant disease hazard, do not exist in Carlsbad; simply that the numbers alone fall well short of establishing that condition. The website authors (the parents of a recently-deceased 16-year-old boy) consulted a well-respected epidemiologist from the USC School of Medicine, and have posted Dr. Mack’s letter on their website (under the “Recent News” heading). It has quite a bit of useful information concerning the situation in Carlsbad. You can also log onto the website of the National Cancer Institute for information on cancer clusters: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/clusters
This being said, you may want to seriously reconsider purchasing a home in Carlsbad. It will take an extremely lengthy period of time to conduct the requisite epidemiological studies and, although highly unlikely, the results may indicate the presence of harmful environmental agents that pose a serious health risk. Regardless of the results, the publicity surrounding the situation will continue to build during this period, and will almost certainly affect property values in a negative way.
ParticipantHiggyBaby, the identification of a true cancer “cluster” in a particular geographic area is a rare occurrence. To the average layperson, the 150 cases of cancer in the stated 3-mile radius over a three-year period would appear to qualify as a cluster. Keep in mind, however, that this figure includes many types of cancer, and while all cancers are characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells, the similarities end there. For all intents and purposes, “cancer” is a hundred completely different diseases, each with its own symptoms, treatments, and prognoses, and all arising from a combination of genetic, molecular, and environmental causes.
The number of cases in Carlsbad is well within normal limits as set forth by epidemiology experts. This does not mean that a cancer cluster, or concomitant disease hazard, do not exist in Carlsbad; simply that the numbers alone fall well short of establishing that condition. The website authors (the parents of a recently-deceased 16-year-old boy) consulted a well-respected epidemiologist from the USC School of Medicine, and have posted Dr. Mack’s letter on their website (under the “Recent News” heading). It has quite a bit of useful information concerning the situation in Carlsbad. You can also log onto the website of the National Cancer Institute for information on cancer clusters: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/clusters
This being said, you may want to seriously reconsider purchasing a home in Carlsbad. It will take an extremely lengthy period of time to conduct the requisite epidemiological studies and, although highly unlikely, the results may indicate the presence of harmful environmental agents that pose a serious health risk. Regardless of the results, the publicity surrounding the situation will continue to build during this period, and will almost certainly affect property values in a negative way.
ParticipantHiggyBaby, the identification of a true cancer “cluster” in a particular geographic area is a rare occurrence. To the average layperson, the 150 cases of cancer in the stated 3-mile radius over a three-year period would appear to qualify as a cluster. Keep in mind, however, that this figure includes many types of cancer, and while all cancers are characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells, the similarities end there. For all intents and purposes, “cancer” is a hundred completely different diseases, each with its own symptoms, treatments, and prognoses, and all arising from a combination of genetic, molecular, and environmental causes.
The number of cases in Carlsbad is well within normal limits as set forth by epidemiology experts. This does not mean that a cancer cluster, or concomitant disease hazard, do not exist in Carlsbad; simply that the numbers alone fall well short of establishing that condition. The website authors (the parents of a recently-deceased 16-year-old boy) consulted a well-respected epidemiologist from the USC School of Medicine, and have posted Dr. Mack’s letter on their website (under the “Recent News” heading). It has quite a bit of useful information concerning the situation in Carlsbad. You can also log onto the website of the National Cancer Institute for information on cancer clusters: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/clusters
This being said, you may want to seriously reconsider purchasing a home in Carlsbad. It will take an extremely lengthy period of time to conduct the requisite epidemiological studies and, although highly unlikely, the results may indicate the presence of harmful environmental agents that pose a serious health risk. Regardless of the results, the publicity surrounding the situation will continue to build during this period, and will almost certainly affect property values in a negative way.
-
AuthorPosts
