By refusing to participate in Medicaid expansion, which is part of the Affordable Care Act, the say will leave on the table an estimated $100 billion over the next decade.

“Texas will not be held hostage by the Obama administration’s attempt to force us into this fool’s errand of adding more than a million Texans to a broken system,” Perry said.

Texas Republicans have moved steadily to the right — to where the very concept of public health insurance of any kind is looked at through narrowed eyes. Still, it’s not simple to walk away from $100 billion from the federal government to help your state’s poor, elderly and disabled, especially when you have powerful stakeholders like hospitals, physicians and cities clamoring for the say to take the money for their sakes.

Texas hospitals stand to lose about $7 billion.

“I do not think we will be OK, actually, especially when you think about the say cut us about $700 million a year in Medicaid payments because of the budget shortfall,” states John Hawkins, a senior vice president at the Texas Hospital Association. “Now we are dealing with sequestration, which is another 2 percent.

“If you look at the president’s budget, there is some additional cuts to hospitals, so I do not think it is a sustainable business model going forward if we do not do the expansion.”

If your country has no national health insurance, but your citizens do not have the stomach to watch the uninsured die on the hospital sidewalk, something’s got to give. So there is a national expectation that physicians and hospitals will provide these uninsured populations mostly uncompensated care. And so they do. But few in the industry think this is the way to operate.

Tom Banning, chief executive officer of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, lobbied hard but unsuccessfully for Medicaid expansion. He’s beside himself with frustration.

“These people do not select to get sick. When they do, they are going to access our health care system at the most inefficient and costly point, which is the emergency room,” Banning says. “And it’s going to cost the taxpayers and it’s going to cost employers a lot of money to care for them. And we are going to be forgoing billions of dollars that the feds have set aside for the say to pay for and provide this care.”

This is not about money — if it were, Texas would be taking it. This is about Obamacare. It’s widely believed in Austin that Perry is seriously considering another run for president — this time without the “oops.” His base is Tea Party Republicans across the country. While it might cost $100 billion for the privilege, Perry is going to be able to stand in front of them and say, “I stated no to Obama when he tried to bribe my say with health care coverage for the poor.”

And since it’s widely believed that these would-be Medicaid recipients probably do not vote or, if they do vote, they vote for Democrats, there is no political price to pay for snubbing them.

Still, there are some Republican legislators who feel bad about not taking the money.

Rep. John Zerwas tried to craft some sort of compromise that never mentioned Medicaid expansion, but he could not get it out of committee — because for Texas Republicans, the very words “health care” now carry the stink of Obamacare.

Zerwas points to “the political realities of having to run for office again in two years and how much explaining would I have to do as a candidate around a vote that could very easily be framed as a supporter of promoting Obamacare.”

Texas Republicans aren’t worried about the reaction from the left for voting down Medicaid expansion, they are worried they might get a primary challenge from a Tea Party candidate if the words “health care” pass their lips on the floor of the Legislature. That is, if they are not already a Tea Party candidate, which many are.

For at least the next two years and probably longer, Medicaid expansion in Texas is dead. What this all means is that more than a million Texans who might have received health care coverage will remain one serious illness or one bad accident away from bankruptcy. And an estimated $100 billion that would have been spent buying health care in Texas will now go somewhere else.

Rather than prescribe them lots of different medications, he tells them to get on a bicycle.

“Of course, I do not actually provide them with bicycles though it’s probably not a bad idea,” he states laughing, during a break in the recent Trek Shimano Probike Century Ride.

“Those who suffer from these chronic diseases usually have them for life as there are no miracle cures. Drugs can control the symptoms and perhaps prevent life-threatening episodes such as heart attack or stroke, but they cannot solve the underlying problems. A doctor will recommend that the patient changes his or her diet, limits food intake and starts exercising. I suggest they take up cycling to help their metabolism.”

Chaweng acknowledges, however, that most people prefer swallowing pills to exercising, an attitude he deplores.

“It’s vital that people with these chronic diseases take exercise seriously as it decreases the number of pills they need to take while increasing the production of hormones.”

The 53-year-old doctor has always been an enthusiastic sportsman, enjoying running, jogging, tennis, badminton and shooting. In 2005, he turned to cycling as an efficient way to burn excess calories, shed body fat and improve cardiovascular health while taking in the great outdoors.

Bicycling also works to strengthen the core of the body, as well as the abdominal and back muscles. A strong core is essential for good balance and posture, and beneficial for all the activities of our daily lives.

“I knew I was getting older – I could feel it in my body. My shoulder was painful from playing tennis and my heels and knees hurt from jogging even after I purchased the ideal running shoes. A young colleague suggested I try riding a bike and it took off from here,” he says.

He paid more than 10,000 baht (US$335) for his first Trek mountain bike and because he did not want to be a burden to other riders, cycled alone through the countryside early in the morning. Within a couple of months, he was ready to join a group.

“A mountain bike is the way to begin because our roads are not too smooth. It’s easier to ride than a road bike and can go everywhere. As soon as I felt confident enough, I changed to a new and more efficient bike. All exercise is good for the health, but cycling adds friendship, the chance to socialise and have fun and sightsee at the same time.”

In 2011, Chaweng set up the Ubonrak Cycling Club. Starting with just 10 members, it now boasts 35 regular riders, among them senior officers, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists and accountants from the hospital as well as civil servants and businessmen of all ages. Road trips are organised every second and fourth Sunday of the month.

“We’re always trying to recruit more members by uploading photos and videos on our Facebook page and to YouTube. We also asked the hospital’s savings and loan cooperatives to provide 15,000 baht ($503) credit to buy bicycles and safety gear and grant repayment in 15 instalments. We’re planning to form a group of a volunteers to ride out to rural health stations and villages and raise awareness about the health benefits,” he says.

The Ubonrak Thonburi Hospital doctor has taken part in the quarterly Trek Shimano Probike Century Ride since 2010. Today, he is moulding himself into a “domestique”, the term used for a road racer who works for the benefit of his team.

“The Century Ride is very motivating,” states Chaweng, who now rides a Trek Madone road bike. “It’s a great way of seeing new places and making new friends. I also want to improve. When I started cycling, I fell and was bitten by a dog. Since turning professional, I’ve fractured five ribs and hurt my fingers. That’s sheer carelessness on my part!”

As both doctor and rider, he is pleased to see an ever-increasing number of people taking up cycling.

“I think people are becoming aware that cycling is healthy and bike distributors are also organising more activities to persuade people to turn to cycling. I think that is terrific.”

CANNES – Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Great Beauty,” a nostalgic, melancholic ode to the eternal city Rome, is one of several films that touch on the unraveling of contemporary Italy in official selection at the Cannes film festival this year. Also competing for the prestigious Palme d’Or award to be handed out on May 26 is “Un Chateau en Italie” (“A Castle in Italy”) by Franco-Italian director Valeria Bruni Tedeschi about the demise of an aristocratic family.

Liberace film throws spotlight on gay rights at Cannes festival

CANNES – The relationship between the flamboyant pianist Liberace and his young lover dazzled at the Cannes film festival on Tuesday and threw the spotlight on gay rights at the motion picture industry’s largest annual gathering. Director Steven Soderbergh stated he struggled five years ago to secure funding for “Behind the Candelabra” because some financiers thought the film would only appeal to a gay audience and, at a cost of $25 million, would be a financial risk.

Singer George Michael under observation for head injuries

LONDON – British singer George Michael remains in hospital under observation for head injuries, five days after a automobile accident, his publicist stated on Tuesday. “I can confirm that George remains in hospital but purely as a standard precaution for observation because he suffered some bumps and cuts to his head. But he is making good progress, he is fine and he is really looking forward to getting home,” the spokeswoman said.

Citing fatigue, director Ang Lee leaves pilot of TV series ‘Tyrant’

LOS ANGELES – Oscar winner Ang Lee cancelled his plans to direct the pilot of new U.S. tv series “Tyrant,” saying on Tuesday that he needed to rest after spending four years working on 3D fantasy-adventure film “Life of Pi.” Lee, 58, signed on to direct the pilot of the drama series for cable network FX in March, shortly after winning the Best Director Oscar for “Life of Pi.”

Carol Burnett to receive top honor for American comedians

– Actress and comedienne Carol Burnett will be honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the top award for American comics, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts stated on Tuesday. Burnett, 80, whose Emmy-winning sketch comedy program “The Carol Burnett Show” was a mainstay on U.S. tv from 1967 to 1978, will receive the award during a ceremony at Washington’s Kennedy Center in October.

Justin Bieber’s monkey ‘Mally’ becomes German say property

BERLIN – A monkey which belonged to popstar Justin Bieber has become German national property after the singer failed to provide authorities with the documents needed to reclaim the pet seized by customs officials. Bieber had until Friday to hand in the necessary paper work which included health and species protection certificates after “Mally” his capuchin monkey was confiscated at Munich airport in March while the singer was on tour.

Keyboardist Ray Manzarek of The Doors dies at age 74

LOS ANGELES – Ray Manzarek, a founding member and keyboardist of 1960s rock group The Doors, died on Monday at a medical clinic in Germany at age 74 following a battle with cancer, the group’s manager Tom Vitorino said. Manzarek, who lived in Northern California’s Napa Valley wine country for the past decade, had been seeking treatment in Germany for bile duct cancer, Vitorino said. He died in Rosenheim, Germany, surrounded by his wife and brothers.

CBS pulls ‘Mike & Molly’ finale with tornado storyline from air

LOS ANGELES – CBS stated on Monday that the network will delay airing the season finale of sitcom “Mike & Molly” in the aftermath of the Oklahoma tornados, due to similarities between the events and the episode’s storyline. “Due to the tragic events this afternoon in Oklahoma, we are pre-empting tonight’s season finale of ‘Mike & Molly,’ which has a related storyline,” a CBS spokesperson stated in a statement.

Kelly Rowland, Paulina Rubio join U.S. ‘X Factor’ judges panel

LOS ANGELES – Pop singer Kelly Rowland and Mexican singer-actress Paulina Rubio have signed onto “The X Factor” judging panel replacing Britney Spears and music mogul L.A. Reid, the Fox tv talent competition produced by Simon Cowell stated on Monday. Rowland, who rose to fame with R&B group Destiny’s Child, and Rubio will be charged with re-igniting the Fox series that failed to stave off falling ratings after giving Spears a reported $15 million salary last year.

Keanu Reeves makes director debut with modern Kung Fu film

CANNES – He’s played a science-fiction hero, policeman and even Hamlet. But now actor Keanu Reeves is taking on a new role – as director of a contemporary martial arts motion picture aimed at both Chinese and Western audiences. Reeves has stepped behind the camera to make his directorial debut with “Man of Tai Chi”, a trilingual film loosely based on the life of a stuntman, Tiger Chen, whom he befriended while working on the sci-fi “The Matrix” trilogy.

More on Shine: The Truth About Homemade Sunscreen Recipes: A Beauty Don’t

The EWG report found that only 25 percent of products on the market offer both broad sun protection and low-risk chemical ingredients. “Consumers are understandably confused about sunscreens,” Sonya Lunder, lead author of the EWG report, told Yahoo! Shine. “And, unfortunately, they are facing some bad choices.”

While sunburns are caused mostly by relatively short but intense ultraviolet B rays, longer UVA rays, which penetrate the body more deeply, inflict more insidious damage and may contribute to or cause cancer.  But all sunscreens are not equal in how effectively they protect against both types of rays, states the EWG.

More on Yahoo!: Skin Cancer Linked to Higher Risk of Other Cancers

The FDA aimed to make that clearer when it put new sunscreen labeling rules into effect in 2012. One new requirement is for products to test and then label to identify sunscreens as “broad spectrum” if they protect well against both UVB and UVA rays. Those that do not must now carry a “skin cancer/skin aging alert” (although EWG states that the FDA standards on this are too low). Another requirement is that if a product claims to be water- resistant, it must state when, during sweating or swimming, the sunblock should be reapplied (for example, every 80 minutes).

But after examining 750 beach and sport sunscreens, EWG noted that the new FDA rules have not yet led to better sunscreens for 2013. “New rules, same old products,” Lunder said. Still, learning to look past label claims and look carefully at ingredient lists can be a helpful way around the bad products. Below, the ideal and worst of what is currently on the market.:

EWG’s List of Worst Sunscreens:

Banana Boat Kids Max Protect & Play Continuous Spray Sunscreen, SPF 110
Banana Boat Ultra Defense Max Skin Protect Continuous Spray Sunscreen, SPF 110
CVS Clear Spray Sunscreen, SPF 100
CVS Kids Wet & Dry Sunscreen Spray, SPF 70


Neutrogena Wet Skin Spray Broad Spectrum Sunscreen, SPF 85+
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Broad Spectrum Sunscreen, SPF 100+


Rite Aid Renewal Extreme Sport Continuous Spray Sunscreen, SPF 70
Rite Aid Renewal Kids Wet Skin Continuous Spray Sunscreen SPF 70

EWG’s List of Best Sunscreens (with average prices):

Coppertone Kids Pure & Simple Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50 ($10)

CVS Baby Sun Lotion Broad Spectrum Sunscreen, SPF 50 ($8)

Sunbow Dora the Explorer Sunscreen, SPF 30 ($10)

Alba Botanica Natural Very Emollient Mineral Sunscreen, Fragrance Free, SPF 30 ($12)
Coral Safe Broad Spectrum Face Stick, SPF 30
 ($8)
Jason Pure Natural Sun Mineral Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30
 ($12)
Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen, Sensitive, SPF 30+
 ($20)
Tropical Sands Sunscreen, SPF 50
 ($16)
Absolutely Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30
 ($24)
Aubrey Organics Natural Sun Sunscreen, Green Tea, SPF 30+ ($11)

So what does the EWG state should be avoided when you make your choice?

Sunscreen sprays or powders: Sprays and powders may pose serious inhalation risks — and also make it too simple to apply too tiny or to miss a spot, leaving tender skin exposed to hazardous rays.

SPF values above 50+: SPF refers only to protection against UVB radiation, not the potentially cancer-causing UVA rays. So a high- SPF number may trick you into staying in the sun too long, blocking sunburns but increasing the risk of other kinds of skin damage. The FDA is considering limiting SPF claims to 50+, as is done in other countries.

Dangerous ingredients: Avoid products that include oxybenzone (found in 80 percent of chemical sunscreens), which can penetrate the skin, cause allergic reactions, possibly disrupt hormones, and may have a link to a risk of endometriosis and low birth weights. And retinyl palmitate, meanwhile, a form of anti-oxidant vitamin A that has been stated to slow skin aging, should be avoided because it’s been found to possibly speed the development of skin tumors and lesions when applied to the skin in the presence of sunlight. Safer options block sun with low-risk ingredients such as zinc oxide, avobenzone or Mexoryl SX. Find a complete list of chemicals and their risks here.

Why Are So Many Women Still Getting Skin Cancer?
10 Foods that Protect Skin from the Sun
Skin Care 101: Sunscreen for Your Skin Type

Here’s a look at how seven bills* signed by President Obama helped dismantle provisions of his health care law to protect our economy and save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars:

H.R. 4: Repealed the small business paper work (“1099”) mandate: The paper work mandate was called “one of Washington’s dumbest ideas” – it would have destroyed jobs and “hit start-ups hardest, not to mention farms, charities and churches.” House Republicans kept their Pledge to America and repealed it. H.R. 4 also reduced exchange subsidy overpayments by $25 billion.H.R. 1473: Cut $2.2 billion from a “stealth public plan” and froze the IRS budget: H.R. 1473 undermined ObamaCare by slicing $2.2 billion from the “Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan” (CO-OP) program – a “stealth public plan.” It saved $400 million by eliminating “Free Choice Vouchers,” which The Hill warned “could lead young, healthy workers to opt out” of their employer plans, “driving up costs for everybody else.” And it ensured the IRS wouldn’t receive additional funding for new agents to enforce the president’s health care law.H.R. 674: Saved taxpayers $13 billion by adjusting eligibility for ObamaCare programs: This bill not only repealed a devastating IRS withholding tax – it saved taxpayers $13 billion by changing how the eligibility for certain programs is calculated under ObamaCare. Without the change, a couple earning as much as much as $64,000 could still qualify for Medicaid.H.R. 2055: Made more cuts to CO-OPs, IPAB, IRS: This bill shaved another $400 million off the CO-OPs; cut another $305 million from the IRS to hamper its capability to enforce the law’s tax hikes and mandates; and rescinded $10 million from the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) of bureaucrats, to which Republican leaders are declining to recommend appointments.H.R. 3630: Slashed billions from ObamaCare slush funds: Republicans fought for another $11.6 billion in savings, saving taxpayers $5 billion from the Prevention & Public Health slush fund, $2.5 billion from ObamaCare’s “Louisiana Purchase,” and more.H.R. 4348: Saved another $670 million from the “Louisiana Purchase”: This saved another $670 million by further adjusting a drafting error that made the “Louisiana Purchase” even costlier.H.R. 8: Repealed the unsustainable CLASS program: H.R. 8 saved $6.5 billion by repealing the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program, an unsustainable entitlement program whose phony “savings” were used by Democrats to mask the true cost of ObamaCare. The former Democratic chairman of the Senate Budget Committee called CLASS “a Ponzi scheme of the first order, the kind of thing Bernie Madoff would be proud of.” The bill also rescinded all unobligated CO-OP funds – another $2.3 billion savings for taxpayers.

Are these enough? Of course not – full repeal is needed to keep this law from doing more damage to our economy and jacking up costs on Americans. But Republicans have made some progress, and will keep working to scrap the law in its entirety so we can focus on patient-centered reforms that lower health care costs and protect jobs.

* Information compiled by the Office of the Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)

And really, what was the kid complaining about anyway? According to the NYC Department of Education website, which gave a daily rundown of the lunch menu, the meals sounded nutritious and hearty. Tri-color salads? Marinated tomatoes? Those did not sound like reasons to complain.

But Zachary, adamant that the flowery website descriptions didn’t at all match his grim lunchtime reality, decided to prove to his parents that he was telling the truth.

He explained to The New York Times, “I told them that’s not what they were actually serving me,” he said. “But I don’t think they believed me.”

The fourth grader smuggled an HD camera into school each day and secretly documented his cafeteria lunches. Later, he would compare that day’s meal with the advertised version on the Department of Education website.

As you can see from the clip above, they often didn’t match up. Salads that were supposed to be filled with colorful vegetable goodies, were in actuality small scoops of aging lettuce and despite a lot of PR about health initiatives, many meals were still built around pizza and mozzarella sticks.

Eventually, Zachary was caught filming by the school’s staff, despite a crew of his friends who were supposed to be his lookouts. He was ordered to delete the footage, but only pretended to comply.

A year later, that footage became the auteur’s short film, which he titled Yuck: A Fourth Grader’s Documentary About School Lunch. It’s so far appeared in a slew of short-film festivals and caught a good portion of national press attention.

Zachary’s rebel tendencies are reflective of another child who turned her disgust for school meals into an international campaign. Scotland’s Martha Payne is only 10-years-old, but her internationally popular blog, NeverSeconds, highlights the inedibility of her own school lunches.

Like Zachary, she was also caught and banned from photographing her meals once school officials became weary of the bad press, but eventually they reversed their decision. Since then, Martha has used her fame to solicit donations to feed hungry kids in Malawi.

As for Zachary, his notoriety seems to have just begun. As a result of his film, the Department of Education spokesperson Marge Feinberg told MSN that starting in fall of 2013, schools will be required to strictly adhere to the advertised menu. No doubt if they don’t, Zachary will be the first to tell us.

What do you think of your kids’ school lunches? A reason to revolt, or perfectly sound nutrition? Let us know in the Comments.

• 100 Days of Real Food: Healthy Food Doesn’t Have to Break the Bank

• GOP Lawmakers Want to Ditch Healthy School Lunch Rules

• Feed to Achieve: New Act Ensures Free Meals for West Virginia Schoolkids

A Bay Area native, Andri Antoniades previously worked as a fashion industry journalist and medical writer.In addition to reporting the weekend news on TakePart, she volunteers as a webeditor for locally-based nonprofits and works as a freelance feature writer forTimeOutLA.com. @andritweets| TakePart.com

After 34 years of working at Ketchikan’s Gateway Center for Human Services, including 10 years as medical director, Wandal William Winn is calling it a day.

“I’m at a phase of practice where I need to cut back,” stated the now semi-retired psychiatrist, who’s spent a few days a month for the past three decades serving Ketchikan’s mental health needs. While Winn resides in Anchorage, he is been commuting to Ketchikan so long that he said, “When I come here, it nearly feels like extended family,” joking that he had be the distant uncle who occasionally visits.

Winn’s Alaska roots run deep. His parents came to Alaska to homestead in 1952, settling at Point MacKenzie, near Anchorage. Winn attended high school in Anchorage before heading Outside for the majority of his higher education, which included graduating from Brigham Young University – for pre-med and grad school – and the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.

Broke and homesick for Alaska, Winn stated he signed on to join the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps in 1975. In 1978 he began commuting monthly to Ketchikan, to work at the Gateway Center, Alaska’s oldest community mental health center.

When he first started, Ketchikan “was very much a fishing, logging community,” Winn said. He watched the town, and its character, morph through the decades as the pulp mill closed and the town shifted to a primarily tourism-based economy. The town also grew more diverse, he said.

“I see it as a net positive,” Winn said, adding that different cultures present different treatment challenges. Winn spoke about the time he spent in medical school, when his rotation brought him into a New Mexico OB/GYN department. He stated he noticed that the way women acted while giving birth varied from culture to culture, adding that their “range of expression” was eye-opening for him. Now?

“I try to meet (my patients) where they are at,” he said. He stated he teaches that same lesson to the students that he teaches at the University of Washington School of Medicine, where he is a clinical instructor.

He tells students that “you need to learn from the people you see,” he stated – not just their symptoms, but who they are and where they are coming from.

Cultural barriers aren’t the only hurdle facing mental health providers or the mentally ill, he said.

“There’s still a lot of distortion” about what the mentally ill really are like, Winn said. He stated that the public generally thinks about the mentally ill to be unintelligent or violent. That’s far from his experience.

Winn stated his patients could be very intelligent, and the mentally ill are more often the victims of violent crime than they are the perpetrators, outside of a few “narrow exceptions.”

Then there is a common dilemma between physician and patient, Winn said. He called it a “perverse paradox of practice:” Patients who need to take prescription medicine often do not want to take it, while patients who do not need medication often seek it out for abuse. Winn stated that is part of the burden of “prescriptive authority” that psychiatrists share with other medical doctors.

Unsurprising for a man whose initials also stand for World Wide Web, Winn is an ardent fan of technology, especially when it comes to improving the level and quality of care he is able to provide patients. Winn has written and spoken about delivering behavioral health treatment long-distance through the use of phones or computers. He stated distance delivery of mental health treatment could be an effective tool for mental health providers in a mostly rural say like Alaska.

Though he is leaving his Ketchikan practice, Winn stated he had likely be back. Whether he returns as tourist or to provide short-term back-up remains to be seen.

“I feel like I am part of the community,” said, adding that he is seen some of his patients in Ketchikan grow up. He’s attended the occasional funeral, too.

Medicine is something near and dear to the Winn family. Between Winn, his wife and his three kids are four medical doctorates.

“We’ve got four Dr. Winns,” he laughed. “And we are often confused for each other.”

Besides medicine, Winn stated he is an avid hiker and a “moderate” shutterbug. His Gateway office held many photos he had taken during excursions into the Alaska wilderness. He also talks both Russian and Mandarin Chinese with some fluency.

Winn is a past president of the Alaska Psychiatric Association and a former information systems committee chairman for the American Psychiatric Association.

© 2013 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.

Grief support group Ripon Medical Center is offering an open adult grief support group from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 19. It will continue to meet on the second Thursday of each month in RMCs Princeton room, 933 Newbury St. In addition to a general overview of the grieving process, participants will learn differences in grieving, how to manage grief and preparation for holidays, birthdays and anniversaries. For more information, call 924-4660 or (800) 236-4156.

Purse and tote sale A public purse and tote sale of original designs by Debbie Brooks will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, at Ripon Medical Center, 933 Newbury St. Cash and checks will be accepted. The sale is sponsored by the RMC Auxiliary to benefit hospital and scholarship programs.

Blood Drive Berlin Memorial Hospital will host a community blood drive from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 22, at the Bloodmobile in the hospital parking lot, 225 Memorial Drive. To donate, call 361-5964 or visit www.save3lives.org. Walk-in donors are also welcome.

Lunch & Learn Lake View Estates and the Agnesian Health Shoppe will present a free lunch and learning session on power mobility devices, stair lifts and ramps on Friday, May 31, at Lake View Estates, 517 Luco Road. A presentation will follow the noon luncheon. Pre-registration is required by calling 926-1100.

Cancer survivors to be honored Agnesian HealthCare will honor local cancer survivors from 1:30 to 3 p.m. on National Cancer Survivors Day, Sunday, June 2. The Agnesian Cancer Center will host the event in the Plaza Level Conference Center, 430 E. Division Street. The event will feature survivor messages, followed by musical entertainment from Drowsy Maggies. A refreshment social will begin at 2:30 p.m. For more information or to register, call 926-4960.

Senior Fest The 19th annual Senior Fest will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 13, at Chilton High School, 530 W. Main St. The event is free and will showcase resources available to seniors such as finance, housing, health, nutrition, volunteer opportunities, travel, and recreation. The event also includes free health screenings from 8:30 a.m. to noon.Boxed lunches will be available for $6 each. Contact Kaye Radder by June 7 at 849-8888 to reserve a lunch. The Jerry Schneider Band will perform from noon to 1:30 p.m.

The top food watchdog has launched a five-month crackdown on health food products to better secure public health and regulate the rising industry.

The campaign by the China Food and Drug Administration will run from this month until the end of September and mainly target the illegal production, sales and advertising of health food products.

The use of illegal additives and components in health foods is at the top of the agenda, Yan Jiangying, a spokeswoman for the administration, stated at a news conference on Thursday.

“Problems in the health food market remain an issue in the country, and the campaign aims to restore order to the industry through exposing and punishing illegal activities related to health food products,” she said.

The campaign reportedly will be the first since the ministry-level administration was formed in March. By integrating the management and supervision functions of several government organs, including the former Ministry of Health, the administration is mainly responsible for food and drug safety on the mainland.

Unlike previous efforts, this campaign involves lots of raids and public exposure, Yan said.

“Those caught with illegal activities in the industry will be severely punished,” she said.

By the end of last year, 2,006 health food producers operated on the Chinese mainland, with a total output worth more than 280 billion yuan ($45.5 billion), the administration said.

“The health food industry is growing fast, but some practitioners are pursuing financial interests at all costs, ignoring laws and regulations,” she said.

Some advertise and label food as health food just to earn more money, she said.

In a case cracked by the administration and public security authorities, a fake health food product with a wholesale price of 53.5 yuan was sold mainly to elderly people for almost 1,500 yuan.

The effects of some products were exaggerated, misleading customers, stated Yu Kang, deputy director of the nutrition department under Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

Such products mainly target chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension, he said.

Some companies illegally added drug components or other banned additives to health food products to boost their efficacy, Yan added.

This often happens to products related to diabetes, weight reduction and male impotence, she said.

To consolidate future achievements of the campaign, “the administration will conduct research aiming to set up the institutions and mechanism to better supervise and regulate the health food industry,” she said.

“Legislation will also be considered to regulate the industry.”