Yesterday, after being sued twice over the issue, the United States government finally listed the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The government squirmed, it delayed, it stuck its head in the sand, but in the end, as Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said “…in light of the scientific record and the restraints of the inflexible law that guides me, I believe it was the only decision I could make.”  [Polar Bear is Named 'Threatened' Species, by Washington Post Staff Writer Juliet Eilperin, WP, May 15, 2008].

Great news for the polar bear — except for the tiny little fact that the US government doesn’t plan on actually doing anything now to save the polar bear.

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There’s an interesting little story in the NY Times online edition today about a letter the head of the FDA wrote to Congress asking for money [F.D.A. Chief Writes Congress for Money, by Gardiner Harris, NYT, March 14, 2008]:

“After being pummeled for weeks on Capitol Hill over the president’s budget, Food and Drug Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach has written Congress that the agency needs an immediate infusion of $275 million to ensure that imported foods, drugs and medical devices are safe.”

My question is why does the head of the FDA have to beg for money?? And even if he gets it, will it do any good?

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State health regulators in California have uncovered what appears to be a hotbed of snooping at one of the premier medical institutes in the state — UCLA Medical Center. What started as one employee illegally viewing the personal medical records of patients including Farah Fawcett and Britney Spears has turned into a pool of 68 different employees all accused of the same sort of snooping. Snoopers include nurses, physicians, volunteers and administrators at the facility. If this type of thing is going on at one facility, just think of what is going on everywhere else.

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