Labor Day Weekend and the LOC National Book Festival

holiday weekend...

Saturday was the 18th Library of Congress National Book Festival.  Holly and I went downtown to the Convention Center and got about a half dozen books from Brad Meltzer, Brian Kilmeade, Deborah Harkness, Annie Prouix, and Amy Tan. Wish I could have attended a presentation or two, but opted for autographs instead.  Gonna miss these when we move.  Where Annie Prouix was a disappointment (a rude prune), Deborah Harkness was a pleasant surprise.  Holly stepped up to the table with 3 copies of A Discovery of Witches -- one for Donna, Sarah, and herself.  Harkness asked her about it and then was charming in talking to Holly for a couple minutes, despite the extraordinarily long line waiting for their turn.  Where Prouix lost a fan, Harness created a new one or two.  Otherwise, I wish the LOC would weave in a few more fiction or even SciFi authors (gasp) instead of 17 authors in the "Understanding Our World" category -- I don't even understand what that means. 


Here's the rundown on weekly health news from PHC:

• a metaphorical shit-storm hit here last week when Reuters released a story on lead in Army family housing -- 1,000 children tested positive for various levels of lead poisoning.  My agency is ultimately responsible for remediation, and from what we hear the Reuters story exposed light on an issue that Army leader were not yet ready to expose to light.  So, leaders immediately decided to start testing all pre-1978 homes, which will cost ~$386M
• In the "Well Hell, I Could Have Told You That" category, scientists are saying that the U.S. is unprepared for nuclear war.  Their focus is on medical professionals being able and WILLING to go into fallout zones and treat those exposed to radiation.  Did you know that there are only 300 doctors in the U.S. that are proficient at skin grafting -- the primary treatment for burns?
• the world's population will increase by 29% by 2015.  That's 2.3 billion people added to the table competing for water and food, to total 9.9 billion.
• air pollution kills brain cells, as the Chinese are discovering now
• Patty, Chrissy and Andy:  if you have Children's Advil Suspension Bubble Gum fluid, please dispose of it.  The dosage is mislabeled.
• As much as I've "joked" about China trying to kill us all, this is no joke.  China is withholding samples of an evolving (and dangerous) mutation of the influenza virus that will likely hit the US.  Some think it's retaliation for tariffs.
• In the perennial favorite, "What's In My Food?" report: 
• E.coli infected ground beef meat in Colorado and California 
• Salmonella in kosher chicken in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York
• if you have Fido on a grain-free diet, you're causing heart disease

• a new German study says that heart healthy foods = fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish, dairy products, and meat.  Yes, those last two are not what most studies have been recommending.  This report says to stay away from refined carbs and processed meats.
• 1 in every 7 U.S. adults have used marijuana in 2017
• don't go to Africa...they have the market cornered on plagues and viruses.  And don't go to India, cause leprosy is making a come-back.
• South Africa has run out of water, despite 6 months of intensive rationing.  They're building desalination plants and limiting water for agricultural use, too
• weird news:  Saudi Arabia is sprinkling a nanotech anti-microbial agent on those large carpets used by millions of worshippers at the Grand Masque in Makkah.  They're also using the nanotech on the cloth garments worn by pilgrims.
• Congratulations U.S.!  We hit a record high number of STD cases in 2016 -- more than 2 million new cases.  Would it help if we showed teenagers medical photos of what STDs look like in full raging "bloom"?

 Hope everyone has a great week!