Week in review
Sometimes it’s easy to miss an event, so here’s a look back at the past week or so to help bring you up to date.
No more Noriega?
I thought for sure that Danny Noriega was going to be this year’s version of Sanjaya on American Idol, a contestant who people would go nuts over before he even sang a word.
He had personality to burn and every night he performed he was on fire. His rendition of “Tainted Love” didn’t do too much for me, but I figured his fierceness would overpower anyone’s doubts.
Unfortunately, folks’ tolerance must not bethe same as it once was for eccentric goofballs.
This is a big blow, too, because the boys are so much stronger than the girls this season. Without Danny in the mix, could someone like Amanda or Carly make the final 3. (With David Archuleta and Jason Castro)?
– Mike Koehler
Listen to Idol Chatter,the American Idol podcast, Thursday afternoons on NewsOK.com
Your presidential candidates: How environmentally conscious are they?
These helpful links will help you find out how green your candidate is. It might not be the most important factor to you in a deciding who you want to support, but it’s worth finding out something about their environmental beliefs.
- Lindsay Hodges, Web EditorFind out more about green issues at NewsOK.com’s Go Green Blog
A new way of looking at diabetes
Researchers have seen that weight-loss surgery appears to cure type 2 diabetes, which they have attributed to the huge drop in pounds. After all, being overweight is a risk factor for diabetes, and losing weight can effectively take care of the problem.
An article that appeared in a supplement to last month’s issue of Diabetes Care argues that the bowel is the site of mechanisms that lead to diabetes.
The study’s author, Dr. Francesco Rubino of New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, presents evidence on the mechanisms of diabetes control after surgery.
“Clinical studies have shown that procedures that simply restrict the stomach’s size (i.e., gastric banding) improve diabetes only by inducing massive weight loss. By studying diabetes in animals, Dr. Rubino was the first to provide scientific evidence that gastrointestinal bypass operations involving rerouting the gastrointestinal tract (i.e., gastric bypass) can cause diabetes remission independently of any weight loss, and even in subjects that are not obese,” according to a press release.
Rubino’s previously has shown that the main way gastrointestinal bypass controls diabetes is by skirting the upper small intestine — the duodenum and jejunum.
“It has become increasingly evident that the gastrointestinal tract plays an important role in energy regulation, and that many gut hormones are involved in the regulation of sugar metabolism,” according to the release.
Rubino’s findings suggest bypassing the upper intestine may work by reversing abnormalities of blood glucose regulation.
He guesses the upper intestine of diabetic patients may be the site where an “abnormal signal” is produced that causes or predisposes one to diabetes.
Gastrointestinal surgery offers the possibility of complete disease remission. This is a major shift in the way we consider treatment goals for diabetes. It is unprecedented in the history of the disease,” he said.
What do you think of using surgery to treat diabetes? Have you had an experience with it? Leave me a comment at http://blog.newsok.com/health.
Jeff Raymond, Medical Writer
Fear of retiring
Is retirement going to be a luxury for thirty- and forty- something workers? I increasingly think it will be, and a new estimate from investment giant Fidelity does nothing to dispel that.
A 65-year-old-couple retiring this year will need approximately $225K to cover medical costs in retirement, Fidelity estimates. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that this is in addition to the coverage available under Medicare, which may itself not be available when I and others retire.
The hypothetical retirees will still have to have enough money to live, either independently or in long-term care.
Perhaps what’s even more sobering than the estimate is its growth since 2002 — 41 percent.
The roughly 6 percent annual growth in the Fidelity projection about matches the growth of my 401K fund during a slow year. I know that doesn’t take into account contribution matching and interest compounding, but I think it raises a worthwhile point nonetheless.
And health care costs show no signs of flattening or decreasing.
Does paying for retirement terrify you as much as it terrifies me? Leave me a comment at http://blog.newsok.com/health.
Fidelity recommends:
- Creating an individual retirement plan
- Starting early and maximizing opportunities to save
- Assessing health status and becoming a smarter consumer of health care
- Determining details of any employer-sponsored coverage
- Understanding the financial impact of health care costs on Social Security income
Jeff Raymond, Medical Writer
The weekly news quiz
It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz.
1. Joel and Ethan Coen’s “No Country for Old Men” collected four Academy Awards last week. For what movie did the Coen brothers receive an Oscar for best original screenplay in 1997?
a) “Fargo”
b) “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
c) “Raising Arizona”
2. Two common viruses recently caused illness figures to double for Emergency Medical Services Authority paramedics. One is influenza. What is the other?
a) Norovirus.
b) Rhinovirus.
c) Cabin fever.
3. A bitter battle is brewing among alcohol distributors. What is all the fuss about?
a) Refrigeration before beer is sent to retailers.
b) Shape of bottles being too similar.
c) Whether the beer tastes great or is less filling.
4. Raul Castro has been chosen to succeed Fidel Castro as ruler of Cuba. What is Raul Castro’s relationship to Fidel Castro?
a) Brother.
b) Son.
c) Uncle.
5. What is significant about Grandfield High School’s Susan Hamand?
a) She is believed to be the first woman coach to take a boys’ team to the state basketball tournament.
b) She is the first to win state Teacher of the Year twice.
c) She has discovered a new element in the school’s science lab.
6. Students at Northwest Classen High School participated in Rachel’s Challenge, a program created to inspire students to be good citizens. The presentation was inspired by Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School massacre. Where is Northwest Classen High School?
a) Oklahoma City, OK.
b) Classen, OK.
c) Norman, OK.
7. Mom-and-pop franchise owners in 10 states, upset about changes the parent corporation is asking them to make — converting either to Treat Centers or a Grill & Chill concept — are suing the chain. What brand is involved?
a) Mel’s Drive-in.
b) Dairy Queen.
c) Rick’s Cafe Americain.
8. A vault buried deep inside an Arctic mountain in Norway will be used to store what?
a) Microwavable and ready-to-eat meals.
b) Ice cream from every country.
c) Seeds from throughout the world.
9. If Visa’s public stock offering is successful, what are market watchers expecting will happen?
a) Wall Street’s picture will be on all new Visa cards.
b) Some say it will be a good economic sign.
c) Visa will be accepted in more places.
10. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the WBC welterweight champion and is considered by many the best prizefighter in the world. He has already appeared on “Dancing With the Stars.” What is his next sport to conquer that he has already signed a contract for?
a) Auto racing.
b) Wrestling.
c) Bulldogging.
11. The 2008 football game between the University of Oklahoma and Texas Tech University has been moved back a week to Nov. 22. Why?
a) It conflicted with a Britney Spears concert.
b) To accommodate the Big 12 Conference’s television package.
c) The wheels are due to be replaced on the Sooner Schooner.
12. Why did Starbucks stores close for several hours last week?
a) The company gave all employees a coffee break.
b) New cappuccino machines were installed.
c) It was part of an in-store training event.
13. A former Nobel Peace Prize winner is undergoing tests for heart failure and is being evaluated as a potential heart transplant recipient. Who is he?
a) Jimmy Carter, former U.S. president.
b) Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
c) Lech Walesa, former president of Poland.
14. Integris Health offers yoga classes to help children escape their hectic schedules. What is yoga?
a) A stretching exercise.
b) Competitive yo-yo’ing.
c) A tangy dairy treat.
15. The Mangum Fire Department claims to have one of the oldest working lightbulbs in the U.S. In what year was it installed?
a) 1907.
b) 1927.
c) 1942.
16. Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart’s plan to map what sites was rejected by other commissioners?
a) Campaign donor properties.
b) Dilapidated roadways.
c) Coffee shop locations.
17. Well-known conservative journalist William F. Buckley Jr. died last week. What magazine did he start?
a) U.S. News and World Report.
b) The New Yorker.
c) National Review.
18. Lt. Gov. Jari Askins last week cast a rare, tie-breaking vote in the state Senate. It was the first time since 1959 that the president of the Senate was allowed to vote on a resolution. Who was the last lieutenant governor to cast that vote?
a) Judson Holloway.
b) George Nigh.
c) Mary Fallin.
19. What Oklahoma high school girls’ tennis squad has dominated the team championships, winning titles the past nine years?
a) Bishop McGuinness.
b) Jenks.
c) Enid.
20. What is the name of Chrysler’s program that will decrease the number of car models and dealers to help increase profits?
a) Project Budget.
b) Project Genesis.
c) Project Beginning.
How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-A; 2-A; 3-A; 4-A; 5-A; 6-A; 7-B; 8-C; 9-B; 10-A; 11-B; 12-C; 13-C; 14-A; 15-B; 16-A; 17-C; 18-B; 19-A; 20-B.
Week in review
Sometimes it’s easy to miss an event, so here’s a look back at the past week or so to help bring you up to date.
