Long Island Sounds like B.S.

From the NY Times:

New York City’s health commissioner ardently defended the city’s decision not to evacuate hospitals and nursing homes before Hurricane Sandy, facing down withering questions Thursday from City Council members who contended that some old people may have died as a result.

The commissioner, Dr. Thomas A. Farley, said that the city and state health commissioners — ultimately reporting to the mayor — had made the best decision they could using information from the National Weather Service, which he said initially showed the brunt of the storm hitting Long Island Sound.

By the time on Sunday that it was clear the storm was threatening the city more directly, he said, “We couldn’t have accomplished the evacuation of everybody in Zone A before zero hour,” which appeared to be as early as midnight.

Part of Long Island Sound lies between Queens and the Bronx, so a storm surge should have been expected regardless of where along the Sound the storm touched down. Plus, the hurricane would obviously have had to pass over land before reaching Long Island Sound. (Makes me wonder if the health commissioner, city council and NY Times know where LI Sound actually is, since this was not explored further.) And how is it that City officials got different information from the National Weather Service than every media outlet that reported on the storm? I recall phrases like, "storm of the century" and maps showing the amazing width of the storm well before midnight, all of them showing a direct hit on NYC.

Of course, the decision to not evacuate had more to do with piss-poor planning: there was no place to send the evacuees and it cost a lot of money that the administration didn't want to spend. And despite the nonsense Farley spewed during this dog-and-pony show, people DID die after being evacuated, because the places they were sent were not prepared to take care of them. Here's what some of them are going through now. Sad, isn't it?

City's salt war "misguided"

From the NY Post:

City health czar Dr. Thomas Farley is warring with a noted scientist over sodium in the same medical journal where Farley trumpeted the city’s war on salt.

“We cannot extrapolate that lowering sodium consumption would reduce cardiovascular risk or premature death,” declared Dr. Sean C. Lucan of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in this month’s American Journal of Public Health.

“Despite assertions to the contrary,” Lucan wrote — citing an anti-salt screed by Farley and a colleague from September — “we do not know that reducing mean population sodium intake would decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease or save lives.”

Lucan told The Post the city’s salt war is “misguided” — and potentially dangerous.

“We can’t just swallow this as fact — there’s actually debate about this.

“My concern is that they’re focusing on a single ingredient that the food industry is going to have to replace with something — and what they replace it with might be more damaging,” he added.

Higher sodium intake has been shown in some studies to increase blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.

But that’s only part of the story, Lucan said.

“There is a relationship between sodium and blood pressure, but it’s not consistent. And even when it’s present, it isn’t clinically very substantial,” he said.

For some high-risk heart patients, some studies show, a low-salt diet “actually leads to worse cardiovascular disease and early death,” Lucan said.

Lowering salt, Lucan notes in his article, “may also decrease insulin sensitivity, alter lipids, and stimulate a variety of neurohormonal pathways detrimental to the cardiovascular system.”

Sodium is simply a marker of unhealthy food, Lucan said, adding that the real target should be refined carbohydrates and highly processed foods — and the city’s war on that front also falls short.

“Refined carbohydrates are a greater enemy,” he warned in the journal. “If sugar-sweetened beverages are a public-health problem, then why aren’t sugar-laden cookies?”

Get ready for some really bad acting

It may take you all weekend to recover from this...

Can we have a mental competency exam, please?

From the Daily News:

What's Mayor Bloomberg been smoking?

The mayor brought along his Health Commissioner, Thomas Farley, to John Gambling's Friday morning WOR-AM radio show to discuss the proposed smoking ban for city parks and beaches.

But for the life of him, Bloomberg couldn't remember Farley's name.

"A lot of people don't like sitting next to somebody who's smoking, and they don't like -- which incidentally is, Tom Frieden's with us -- Friedman -- yes, well, Foley," the mayor began.

After that, it went from bad to worse, with the unassuming Farley morphing in Bloomberg's mind into chatty New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman.

"Friedman was the last guy," Bloomberg said. "Frieden was the last guy. Friedman's the columnist, and Foley's the one we have now."

Sorry mayor, try again.

"I picked Foley, Tom Foley because we didn't have to change the monograms on the towels," the mayor said, digging himself deeper.

"Tom Friedman, Tom Foley -- and a lot of people, all kidding aside, don't like all the butts and cigarettes and the beach and everything," Bloomberg said. "Tom, you want to talk about this a little bit?"

Mercifully, Tom - as in Thomas Farley - wanted to talk a bit.

But Bloomberg, who is 68, still sounded confused about which Tom was in the studio.

"Foley," hizzoner said.

"Farley," Gambling corrected the mayor.

"Farley," Bloomberg agreed.

Sparks Deli makes the grade

From the NY Post:

A deli in Queens gets New York City’s first A for food safety.

The city rolled out its new system of awarding letter grades to restaurants Wednesday. Health Commissioner Thomas Farley presented an A to Spark’s Deli in Long Island City.

Deli owner Jose Araujo says he’s proud to see the A in his window.

The city awards grades based on cleanliness and whether food is kept at the right temperature. Restaurants that don’t earn an A the first time will be given a chance to bring their grade up before they must display a B or a C.

Farley says most restaurants maintain good conditions, but lapses in food safety can cause preventable illnesses.

Surprised that Borden Ave bridge project hasn't killed them completely.

Meanwhile, ethnic restaurateurs are concerned that they will fail inspection.