Milt Reynolds: Thinking Out Loud

Honest Information I'm outraged by erroneous, reckless and manipulated conclusions based upon faulty research. I've just finished reading an article that describes such blatant disregard for science . The article dissects a recent conclusion reached by a study entitled The comparative safety of legal induced abortion and childbirth in the United States , by Elizabeth G. Raymond, MD, MPH and David A. Grimes, MD. Their conclusion: "Legal induced abortion is markedly safer than childbirth." However, the study appears riddled with errors. The study was based upon data reported by abortion clinics to state health departments and compiled by the Centers for Disease Control. This data is far from adequate for such a sweeping generalization or conclusion . Abortion reporting is not required by federal law Many states do not report abortion-related deaths to the CDC Deaths due to medical and surgical treatments are not reported as "due to treatment...

The Wonders of Wallowa County Have to brag on my friend, Marc Stauffer. He wrote and narrated three 60-second radio spots proclaiming the wonders of Wallowa County. Listen here: Wallowa County Radio Spot - 1 Wallowa County Radio Spot - 2 Wallowa County Radio Spot - 3 Marc's not stretching the truth...Wallowa County is probably the best place in Oregon for wilderness scenery, hunting, fishing, photography, arts and crafts! For more information, visit wallowacounty.org , or search: wallowa county chamber of commerce

Free Vaccine: Pertussis-Whooping Cough State officials declare whooping cough epidemic Adults and children can fight illness' spread with vaccinations, boosters Whooping cough epidemic in Wash. worries Oregon Free pertussis-whooping cough immunizations will be provided by Umatilla County Public Health Department on Saturday, May 19th. Vaccine will be given to teens and adults of any age at no cost. There will be 250 doses of the whooping cough vaccine given in Pendleton in the Walmart parking lot from 10am - 12pm and 250 doses given in Hermiston in the Walmart parking lot from 1-3pm. For more information, call the Umatilla County Public Health Department 541-278-5432 . Questions? Contact: Julie Christopherson, BSN Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Umatilla County Public Health Department Poster: Immunization Clinic: Hermiston Kid-friendly Fact Sheet: cdc.gov More information: columbian.com/news state-officials-declare-whooping-cough-epidemic colum...

IE9...I'm Impressed! I've been trying IE9 today...I'm impressed! Seems very fast, just as fast as Chrome (version 18.0.1025.162). Very clean UI. Learned one thing...64-bit version of IE9 is not any better than 32-bit, and in fact is slower! 64-bit uses an older version of Javascript. See this article for more info: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/networking/chrome-10-vs-internet-explorer-9-reconsidered . Windows 7 is bundled with both 32-bit and 64-bit IE9. The one I want to pin to my Taskbar is the 32-bit version, found in this location: C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer The 64-bit version, the slower of the two, is in this location: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer Both files have the same filename: iexplore.exe To determine the version you're running, click on the settings icon (image of sprocket) and select About Internet Explorer. The 64-bit version will follow the version number with "64-bit Edition". The 32-bit version w...

Quitter: The First Chapter I'm reading a book called Quitter , by Jon Acuff. It's good. Very good. So far, the book describes the difference between a day job and a dream job and how the two are related. Lots of what he's saying hits at the core of my heart, illuminating things I've seen only dimly before. Because I'm a writer, and a teacher , I have now an undeniable urge to pass on some of the good stuff I've found in his book. Chapter One: Don't Quit Your Day Job "The trick to removing your clothes in a bathroom stall is to start with your shirt." That's the first sentence in Jon's book. Really. It's his way of grabbing the reader's attention, drawing him into the essence of this first chapter: Jon hated his day job and loved his dream job . You'll have to read the book to see how bathroom-stall clothes-removal ties into the conflict between day and dream jobs. But I wanted you to quickly understand Jon...

Break-Away Lanyard Knot It's easy to buy hardware to attach to a lanyard that will break away if snagged accidentally. My work requires that I wear an ID badge around my neck, and my employer supplies simple neck lanyards with plastic break-away clasps. That's OK...I guess. I'd much prefer a solution that is cord only, using a break-away knot . A search of the internet didn't yield exactly what I was searching for, so I tried my own design. Here's how I did it. Step One: Start with about 60 inches of cord. I used 1/8-inch diameter cord, similar to paracord, but a bit more stiff. Paracord would probably work even better. Step Two: Make a bight 24 inches from one end. The length of the bight is not critical. After experimenting, 24 inches seemed a good way to start, but the knots will need dressing, and exact lengths will be adjusted later. Also, the diameter, and the stiffness, of the cord you choose to use will affect cord length. Be prepare...

Plain-Talk versus 10-Code The Hermiston Police Department has recently changed their policy regarding emergency communications, returning to the time-honored, traditional yet inconsistent, 10-Code System . I'll bet a couple of doughnuts that the only people vitally interested in this news will be police officers, firefighters and medics . Oh, and all of us scanner-radio addicts. This earthshaking news hit the newspaper just a week ago, meriting one 24-word sentence. After briefly describing Acting Chief of Police Jason Edmiston's summary of the year's crime events, the reporter added this tantalizing tidbit : "He also reported HPD will revert back to the 10-code, a standard communication system used by police, that was changed after Sept. 11, 2001." (Source: Hermiston faces 'anemic' revenue for 2011-12 , Holly Dillemuth, Hermiston Herald, January 24, 2012) I realize that the news is tantalizing only to a narrow slice of Hermiston's popu...