Quote:Kentuckians die at a rate of 18 percent above the national average, the newspaper reported. Its report said residents of all income levels are disabled and killed by cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes — chronic illnesses that are linked to smoking, poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyles.

"We don't have to worry about foreign aggressors," said Dr. Baretta Casey, a Hazard physician and University of Kentucky professor. "We are killing ourselves off."

Poverty is at the center of the problem

Huh?

Quote: factoring into nutrition, health habits and medical care that people receive. Minorities in Kentucky's cities, who are disproportionately poor, die from diseases at rates comparable to those in some of the hardest-hit rural areas. And Kentucky has 43 of the nation's 340 persistently poor rural counties.

In Knott County, two brothers and a father share a small house and serious health woes.

James White, 42, weighs 340 pounds and has high blood pressure, but still eats mostly fatty foods, such as fried chicken and pork chops.

Uh ok. So this guy is poor...we also know he doesn't work very hard and he eats too much. Maybe that's where the connection should be made.

Do journalists ever learn the difference between causation and correlation?
To be blunt: maybe he's poor b/c he's lazy and eats too much. Maybe he's sick b/c he's lazy and eats too much.

Quote:His older brother Eddie, 46, had a six-way heart bypass last year. He is unemployed and uninsured and so can afford little medical care. He owes thousands of dollars in medical bills.

Seems to me he ought to be trying to live a healthy lifestyle then. Seems many of those bills could be avoided.

DrTorch Wrote:His older brother Eddie, 46, had a six-way heart bypass last year.

A six-way? :eek: That is like a by-pass orgy!

GrayBeard Wrote:

DrTorch Wrote:His older brother Eddie, 46, had a six-way heart bypass last year.

A six-way? :eek: That is like a by-pass orgy!

:roflol: :roflol: :roflol: :roflol: :roflol: :roflol: :roflol:

This is also one of the states with the highest level of toothlessness in the country. They were #1 until WV beat them out this year.

drtorch, i respectfully request a link.

gruehls Wrote:drtorch, i respectfully request a link.

Did the 6-way get you excited or something? :D

GrayBeard Wrote:

DrTorch Wrote:His older brother Eddie, 46, had a six-way heart bypass last year.

A six-way? :eek: That is like a by-pass orgy!

They might as well have ripped the whole carburetor and mounted a new one..............overhauling that one is just a waste of time and money...............

gruehls Wrote:drtorch, i respectfully request a link.

Sorry, I just got back from 1.5 weeks of travel. I don't even remember the original source. Probably a headline from Yahoo!

I wholly beleive that art imitates life. So in response to the question of do journalists keep our society well-informed. Heck, YES! How else would i or anyone else here who IS doing well, know or become informed of situations like the ones described by the writer from KENTUCKY. Just because poverty isnt in my life, or my relatives, friends, etc....doesnt mean i should shut myself off from the world and ignore the world and its many woes.

There are lots and lots and lots of poor folks on this gods green earth. And if im in illinois and living all pretty. How am i to know or acknowledge others plights without JOURNALISM to keep me abreast of these things.

My 2 cents. Thanxs!

affbld Wrote:I wholly beleive that art imitates life. So in response to the question of do journalists keep our society well-informed. Heck, YES! How else would i or anyone else here who IS doing well, know or become informed of situations like the ones described by the writer from KENTUCKY. Just because poverty isnt in my life, or my relatives, friends, etc....doesnt mean i should shut myself off from the world and ignore the world and its many woes.

There are lots and lots and lots of poor folks on this gods green earth. And if im in illinois and living all pretty. How am i to know or acknowledge others plights without JOURNALISM to keep me abreast of these things.

My 2 cents. Thanxs!

You could always watch Fox's Scariest Police Chases or COPS. There always seems to be a lot of plight there.

BTW, is the news supposed to be "art"? Isn't it supposed to be a factual representation of an event?

Lastly, were you referring to the Almighty God when you said "gods green earth" or another god say like Zeus or Atlas?