Three-Million Nurses to Receive PTSD, TBI
Training

post from MAL Contends . . . on 12 April 2012 08:00:58 AM. © MAL Contends . . .

One of the challenges of diagnosing and treating complex injuries like post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury is the sheer amount of qualified medical personnel who can recognize the often subtle signs of trauma. Joining Forces (which celebrated its one year anniversary today) is looking to solve part of that issue by training a corps of nurses in the coming years.

By Alex Horton

Over three million nurses will be trained on how to recognize and respond to PTSD and TBI, which will immediately impact the care of Veterans. From Stars and Stripes:

Amy Garcia, chief nursing officer of the American Nurses Association, said the new initiative should have a more immediate impact on veterans care, because officials can introduce the lessons into professional development courses, medical journals and other nursing resources in a matter of weeks, not years. ? ?Our goal is to raise awareness of these issues, teach nurses to recognize the signs and symptoms, and help reduce the stigma of seeking care,? she said.

VA nurses are well trained in identifying PTSD and TBI, so this will mostly impact private care facilities that haven?t trained in these areas. But if a nurse at a private hospital comes to work at VA, it?ll be a big boost to have prior knowledge of two of the most pressing medical issues we work to address.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MalContends/~3/rgdssdDNDmE/three-million-nurses-to
-receive-ptsd.html

Digg this

Gabrielle Giffords, Trayvon Martin: Why arent we
talking about the guns

post from Occasional Planet on 12 April 2012 08:00:54 AM. © Occasional Planet

What does it take in America when there is a senseless gun shooting for the country to say enough is enough about firearms? In January, 2010, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot and near fatally wounded while having an open house for constituents at a small shopping center in her home district of Tucson, AZ. Six [...]Related posts:

Read The Full Article:
http://www.occasionalplanet.org/2012/04/12/gabrielle-giffords-trayvon-martin-not-
enough-discussion-of-the-role-guns/

Digg this

Bush regrets "Bush tax cuts" name, but not the
cuts

post from US Politics | AMERICAblog News on 12 April 2012 08:00:28 AM. © US Politics | AMERICAblog News

After complaining about the popular name for his disastrous tax cuts for the rich, Bush then goes on to sell the benefits of his tax cuts for the rich. Despite there being no evidence to support the common right wing theory that tax cuts spur investment, Bush continues to promote this false theory. After all, what is Mitt Romney doing with the tax cuts that he received besides adding an elevator for his cars or tearing down his $12 million house and building something larger?

If the country is looking for something to boost the general economy and not just a few workers, tax cuts for the ultra rich is a bad idea. CNNMoney:

"I wish they weren't called the Bush tax cuts. If they were called someone else's tax cuts, they'd be less likely to be raised," he said in introductory remarks at a conference at the New York Historical Society.

The former president repeated the argument often used by Republicans -- that eliminating those tax cuts for the wealthy, as Democrats have proposed, would hit small businesses and hurt hiring.

"If you raise taxes on these so-called rich, you're really raising taxes on the job creators," he said at the conference, which was sponsored by the Bush Institute, which he opened after leaving office. "And if the goal is to create private sector growth, you have to recognize that the best way is to leave capital in the treasuries of the job creators."

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Americablog/~3/vapQbHl1yAc/bush-regrets-bush-tax-c
uts-name-but-not.html

Digg this

Morning CheckUp: April 12, 2012

post from ThinkProgress on 12 April 2012 08:00:03 AM. © ThinkProgress

Romney?s health care law gets awkward birthday party: “Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick marked the state?s landmark health care reform law Wednesday with a ceremony at Faneuil Hall ? the same place where Mitt Romney signed the bill almost six years ago, long before the state?s reform became the model for the federal reform reviled by conservatives.” [Politico]

Growth in health costs is slowing: “Healthcare costs aren?t growing quite as rapidly as they have in the past, according to new research from Buck Consultants. The study predicts that health insurance costs will rise this year by less than 10 percent ? the first time growth has been that low in more than a decade. The findings could undermine Republicans’ argument that President Obama?s healthcare law is driving costs higher.” [Healthwatch]

Lawmakers ask about HHS funds going to IRS: “Concerned that the Internal Revenue Service may be receiving additional funding from HHS to implement the healthcare reform law, two House lawmakers have asked the federal agency to answer a series of questions by the month’s end.” [Modern Healthcare]

Sebelius makes pitch for Affordable Care Act in Wisconsin: “Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius was in Milwaukee on Wednesday to draw attention to provisions in health care reform that benefit a key constituency: The 49 million people, including 650,000 in Wisconsin, covered by Medicare.” [Journal Sentinel]

Democrat governors craft duals proposal: “Democratic governors had pitched to lawmakers a plan that would allow states to move beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid into managed care and said the proposal would generate $164 billion in federal savings over 10 years, according to documents obtained by Inside Health Policy.” [Inside Health Policy]

Read The Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/04/12/463095/morning-checkup-april-12-2012/

Digg this

Justiceline: April 12, 2012

post from ThinkProgress on 12 April 2012 08:00:03 AM. © ThinkProgress

Welcome to Justiceline, ThinkProgress Justice?s morning round-up of the latest legal news and developments. Remember to follow us on Twitter at @TPJustice.

Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) confirms that he is blocking a federal judicial nominee because she would not misrepresent the law in a way that benefits the NRA.
A federal court in Louisiana orders several people striken from the state’s sex offender registry because it was unconstitutional to require such registration after they violated the state’s anti-gay law against “crime[s] against nature by solicitation.”
The Third Circuit will decide whether the First Amendment still applies to students who wore “I (heart) boobies!” bracelets in support of a cure for breast cancer.
Missouri House Republicans rewrite a description of a voter suppression ballot initiative for the second time after a judge rules their previous attempt invalid.
Adam Liptak explains how out of touch our criminal justice system has become in the Michigan Law Review:
If you were to ask a child whether it would be fair to execute a prisoner because his lawyer had made a mistake, the answer would be no. You might even get a look suggesting that you had asked a pretty stupid question. But judges treat the issue as a hard one, relying on a theory as casually accepted in criminal justice as it is offensive to principles of moral philosophy.

Read The Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/04/12/463111/justiceline-april-12-2012/

Digg this

Mike's Blog Round Up

post from Crooks and Liars on 12 April 2012 08:00:00 AM. © Crooks and Liars

No Comment: The Zelikow memo and "torture probe."

Vixen Strangely: Nearer my womb to thee.

The Exiled: The lower classes must be kept poor, or they will never be industrious.

ProPublica: The Great American Foreclosure Song.

Guest post by Batocchio. Email tips to mbru AT crooksandliars DOT com.

Read The Full Article:
http://crooksandliars.com/batocchio/mikes-blog-round-80

Digg this

Lakeside Diner

post from Firedoglake on 12 April 2012 07:45:52 AM. © Firedoglake

A variety of links to articles/interviews/speeches on current issues that may be of interest.[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/firedoglake/fdl/~3/Kz31vDzPZGc/

Digg this

Queer Talk: Obama Delays Implementation of
Promised Work Place Protection

post from TaylorMarsh.com on 12 April 2012 07:01:04 AM. © TaylorMarsh.com

Joyce L. Arnold, Liberally Independent, Queer Talk, equality activist, writer.

From ThinkProgress, late Wednesday afternoon: BREAKING: White House To Delay Implementation Of Key Anti-Discrimination Order.

I think this might answer the ?will Obama come out in support of marriage equality before November? question. It certainly answers whether he?ll come out in support of ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. If this decision is an indication of his campaign strategy, Queerdom should not be expecting anything between now and November, except, of course, to be asked for money and votes.

After months of dodging questions about the progress of an executive order prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in federal contracting, the White House won?t issue the directive, but will instead study whether gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees require employment protections, ThinkProgress has learned.

He needs to study ?whether … employment protections? are needed? Seriously?

From the Think Progress story:

… ?Today?s news that the White House?s Council of Economic Advisors will launch a study to better understand workplace discrimination against gay and transgender Americans is confounding and disappointing,? said Winnie Stachelberg, the Executive Vice President for External Affairs at the Center for American Progress.

?Confounding and disappointing,? and more. ?Dodging questions? is sort of like ?evolving,? in that it means you?re avoiding a decision you don?t want to make. But this one makes even less sense, politically (which is obviously all that counts) than does the one regarding marriage, since there?s even wider support for ENDA and ENDA-like protections than for marriage equality.

Earlier this month, 72 Congressional lawmakers urged the administration to enact the order, noting that it would ?extend important workplace protections to millions of Americans, while at the same time laying the groundwork for Congressional passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).? Data show that ?43 percent of LGB people and 90 percent of transgender people have experienced workplace discrimination? and that the overwhelming majority of Americans ? 73 percent ? would have supported a measure prohibiting it.

What?s to ?study,? Mr. Obama?

Even HRC responded unhappily, with Solmonese?s statement including, ?We are extremely disappointed with this decision and will continue to advocate for an executive order from the president.?

As the Think Progress reports notes, this is a

... departure for the president who committed to supporting a ?formal written policy of non-discrimination that includes sexual orientation and gender identity or expression ? for all Federal contractors? as a candidate in 2008 and pledged to fight for the community in 2009 and 2011. ?I?m here with a simple message: I?m here with you in that fight,? Obama told the Human Rights Campaign in 2009, adding, ?Nobody in America should be fired because they?re gay, despite doing a great job and meeting their responsibilities. It?s not fair. It?s not right. We?re going to put a stop to it.?

Well, he didn?t say when ?we? would ?put a stop to it,? did he?

From Andrew Harmon at The Advocate:

… further action on core LGBT issues prior to the election appears increasingly unlikely.

But as Aravosis writes:

It?s going to be tough for the President to avoid another big gay blow up in September when the platform committee decides on whether or not to include marriage equality in the Democratic party platform. With the executive order now dead, there?s even more pressure on the President to come clean on marriage, and I can?t imagine that?s more appetizing to his political folks than this executive order.

Obama told the HRC gathering, in 2009, about being fired because you?re gay, ?It?s not fair. It?s not right.? I?d say the same thing about this WH decision. But then, it’s always ultimately about politics, not what’s “right.”

Read The Full Article:
http://taylormarsh.com/blog/2012/04/queer-talk-obama-delays-implementation-of-pro
mised-work-place-protection/

Digg this

Is Your Congress Breeding Bolsheviks

Rep. Allen West has their number. About 70, or is it 80, or maybe 81?

I’ll let Hunter at Daily Kos handle this one, I’ve got to go to work.

[And so as not to deny an enterprising business the fruits of their labor--You can get your very own copy of this vintage advertising poster at Northern Sun( their products are guaranteed Union Made, Bolshevik-Free).]

Read The Full Article:
http://kmareka.com/2012/04/12/is-your-congress-breeding-bolsheviks/

Digg this

Ceasefire in Syria, but doubts remain

At this point, a day or two of calm is helpful and Annan is right that it might help bring in relief supplies. But long term, there is little chance of this holding or being a meaningful ceasefire. Al Jazeera:

The deadline has passed for a ceasefire in Syria to come into effect as part of a peace plan proposed by Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League peace envoy, but Western leaders have already expressed doubts about whether the Syrian government will honour the deal.

Syria told Kofi Annan in a letter that it would halt all fighting by Thursday morning but reserved the right to respond to any attack by "armed terrorist groups".

Since rebels, loosely organised across Syria's provinces, do not obey a set chain of command, there is no guarantee they will obey the ceasefire either.