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Apr

22

Women’s life expectancy for significant number of Americans takes unexpected death plunge

Filed Under Health Care, Research, Women | 4 Comments

The information here is not simple to digest but the decrease in women’s life expectancy in some 1000 counties included in a study conducted by epidemiologists is being blamed on smoking, blood pressure and obesity. (How about misogyny and telling people about My Beautiful Mommy? Oh – just teasing.) You can see the study here.

From the Washington Post article:

From 1961 to 1983, life expectancy went up everywhere for both sexes. This was largely because the death rate from heart attacks, which had been rising for half a century, began to fall in the late 1960s. There were two reasons.

Huge numbers of people lowered their chances of having a heart attack by modifying “risk factors,” such as smoking, hypertension and high cholesterol. Improvements in medicine — coronary care units, use of aspirin and beta-blocker drugs, and various surgical procedures — greatly increased survival in patients with heart disease. About two-thirds of the longevity gained over the past four decades has come from the decrease in cardiovascular deaths.

These changes were so dramatic that even the poorest and least healthy groups benefited. In fact, counties with low life expectancy in 1961 had steeper rises over the next dozen years than counties that started out with high life expectancy. Overall, the drop in heart attack deaths more than offset rising mortality from cancer, emphysema and diabetes during this period.

By the early 1980s, however, the rapid gains were coming to an end. The low-hanging fruit on the tree of heart-attack prevention and treatment had been picked. Further strides tended to happen mostly in places where people were already healthy and long-lived.

As a consequence, the rise in longevity began to stagnate in places with the least-healthy people. In those counties, life expectancy increased by only one year (from 74.5 to 75.5) between 1983 and 1999, while in the healthiest places the life expectancy of women had reached 83.

It was during this interval that women’s life expectancy fell in nearly 1,000 counties. If one adds counties where it rose only insignificantly, then 19 percent of American women — nearly 1 in 5 — are now experiencing stagnating or falling life expectancy.

What are the health care policy implications here, if any? I’ve got matzah for brains right now.

Hattip Women’s Voices for Change.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:46 pm April 22nd, 2008 in Health Care, Research, Women | 4 Comments 

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Apr

22

From ODB: Rosemary Palmer (D) to Replace Cotronakis in OH Sen. 24 race

Filed Under Announcements, Campaigning, Democrats, Elections, Government, OH24th, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, Statehouse | 30 Comments

Courage and scooping from Ohio Daily Blog. I received similar news a day or two ago but had to let it go due to overload and the holiday.  From ODB (thank you, Jeff!):

Word is that 10th Congressional District primary candidate Rosemary Palmer (D-Cleveland) will be replacing attorney Emanuel Cotronakis (D-Bay Village) as the candidate for the GOP-held open seat in the 24th Ohio Senate District. Term-limited State Rep. Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) is the GOP contender. Cotronakis will be officially withdrawing soon, reportedly to focus on business.

I regard this as very good news. Like the previous Democratic Ohio Senate candidate to withdraw, Sylvia Washburn (D-Maumee) in the 2nd Ohio Senate District, Cotronakis was not visibly campaigning and had raised no money. Palmer proved to be an energetic and spirited campaigner in the primary. Although she finished last in the five-way contest, she gained valuable name recognition and experience, raised $50,917 in contributions from individuals, and has a host of campaign volunteers ready to go into action. I expect her to put a tremendous amount of energy and creativity into this race and make it a genuine contest.

I live in the 24th and I can’t remember if Jeff does too! But hopefully I’ll be able to keep up with the race (and Jeff!).

Good luck to Rosemary, I think it’s an excellent move.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 1:48 pm April 22nd, 2008 in Announcements, Campaigning, Democrats, Elections, Government, OH24th, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, Statehouse | 30 Comments 

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Apr

22

Misogyny Pays Redux: The New Republic’s cover image of Clinton

Filed Under Culture, Elections, Gender, Hillary Clinton, Marketing, Media, Politics, Social Issues, Women, Writing | 32 Comments

[yes, that is really the cover photo]

TAPPED: Enough with the Crazy Eye

See also: Rebecca Traister: Hey, Obama boys: Back off already!

See also: Amanda Fortini: Has Hillary Clinton’s Campaign Caused a Feminist Reawakening?

And of course: Eric Boehlert: For Chris Matthews, Misogyny Pays

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 1:14 pm April 22nd, 2008 in Culture, Elections, Gender, Hillary Clinton, Marketing, Media, Politics, Social Issues, Women, Writing | 32 Comments 

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Apr

22

Clinton v. Obama: Pin the tail on the donkey already!

Filed Under Barack Obama, Campaigning, Democrats, Elections, Hillary Clinton, Politics, Predictions, Primary, Voting, WH2008 | 16 Comments

Thinking about the outlook for today’s Democratic presidential nominee primary in Pennsylvania is like being at a birthday party, blindfolded, wrist flexed back with a dart between your thumb and index finger, trying to decide where to pin the tail on the donkey. You just can’t figure out, after having been spun around and around and around, where to place the darn dart.

In the case of the race between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, why is this so? Why are we unable to stick the dart in but good?

Sure, the candidates and their campaigns keep moving the wall and their donkey. But we expect that in politics.

As the ones holding the darts, however, the voters are unable to stick the dart in because, no matter what the campaigns do to the target they’ve embraced, the choice between these candidates represents a choice between options that can both be assessed as ones that will lead to success. Or failure. But that’s not the problem. Read more

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:24 am April 22nd, 2008 in Barack Obama, Campaigning, Democrats, Elections, Hillary Clinton, Politics, Predictions, Primary, Voting, WH2008 | 16 Comments 

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Apr

22

Big AT&T profits: my grandfather always said, Invest in utilities

Filed Under Politics | 4 Comments

From MarketWatch:

In the first three months of 2007, AT&T said net profit rose to $3.46 billion, or 57 cents a share, from $2.85 billion, or 45 cents a share, in the 2006 first quarter. Revenue increased 6.1% to $30.7 billion from the same quarter a year earlier.

Wireless sales were up 18.3% to $11.8 billion. AT&T, the exclusive provider of the Apple iPhone, ended the first quarter with a nation-leading 71.4 million mobile customers.

Some Wall Street analysts, however, were expecting the company to add as many as 1.5 million subscribers. AT&T said net additions were reduced by 330,000 customers related to the shutdown of the company’s older TDMA wireless network.

AT&T added 491,000 high-speed Internet customers to bring its total to 14.6 million, also the No. 1 market position in the U.S. And AT&T gained 148,000 customers for its new U-Verse fiber-TV service to finish with 379,000 in service.

Think we’ll see any adjustments based on credit problems like Sprint had a couple of months ago (they blamed subprime subscribers for the company’s $30 billion loss)?

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:04 am April 22nd, 2008 in Politics | 4 Comments 

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