A toddler with a gun

A young mother was shot and killed by her 2-year-old son  in an Idaho Walmart, police said.

Lt. Stu Miller of the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office said that the boy was sitting in the shopping cart when pulled the handgun from his mom's purse and pulled the trigger. Police identified the victim as Veronica J. Rutledge, 29, of Blackfoot, Idaho.

 

The preliminary investigation shows the shooting was an accident, police said. He added that the victim was from out of town and may have been visiting relatives for the holidays. The boy was with family members.

 

Rutledge was shopping in the electronics section of the Hayden, Idaho, store, about 40 miles from Spokane, Washington, when the shooting happened. The store was immediately evacuated and was to be closed until Wednesday. The investigation was ongoing.

 

"A very sad and tragic incident happened in our Hayden store involving a female customer, and we're working with the local sheriff's department while they investigate what happened," Walmart spokesperson. 

Danger is everywhere, particularly if you create it yourself. Just a thought.

Out of Afghanistan

After 13 years of military engagement in Afghanistan, the US-led involvement in the Middle Eastern country ended on Monday on a subdued note.

With Kabul subject to repeated Taliban bombings, the authorities took the decision to conduct the closing ceremony at an undisclosed location somewhere in the capital.
The campaign has come at a heavy cost, with 3,500 foreign soldiers having died in the war and $1 trillion being spent.

At the conclusion of the longest war in America’s history President Obama said: “We salute every American – military and civilian, including our dedicated diplomats and development workers – who have served in Afghanistan, many on multiple tours, just as their families have sacrificed at home.”

About 13,000 foreign troops, mostly Americans, will remain in the country under a new, two-year mission named “Resolute Support” that will continue the coalition’s training of Afghan security forces to fight the insurgents, who have killed record numbers of Afghans this year.

You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped. Just a thought.

Macadamia Nuts...*!

Heather Cho [Cho Hyun-ah] resigned from the airline's catering, in-flight sales business, its cabin service and hotel business divisions.

But she is keeping her title as a vice president of the national carrier. Just far away from Nuts.

According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, Cho is the eldest daughter of Korean Air's chairman, Cho Yang-ho.

The incident occurred Friday at New York's JFK airport on a flight due to take off for South Korea's, outside Seoul.

Cho reportedly demanded that the plane go back to the gate so the crew member who served her could be kicked off the flight.

Korean Air is facing $1.3 Million fine after CEO's daughter delayed takeoff in response to macadamia nut service.

According to her biography, Heather Cho joined the airline in 1999 and has since been "actively involved in establishing a new corporate identity for Korean Air." She studied at Cornell University and the University of Southern California.

Nuts any one?     Just a thought.

A friend...?

The Turkish gunman who shot and wounded John Paul II in 1981 laid white flowers Saturday on the saint's tomb in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican officials said.

The surprise visit by Mehmet Agca, believed to be his first time in the Vatican since the assassination attempt, lasted a few minutes, a Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Ciro Benedettini, said. 

Benedettini said there are no legal matters pending against Agca in the Vatican and he was free to visit. Agca's trip came on the 31st anniversary of his meeting with the pope.

John Paul, forgave his attacker, visited Agca in a Rome prison on Dec. 27, 1983, and later intervened to gain Agca's release in 2000. Agca was extradited to Turkey For the 1979 killing of a Turkish journalist and he completed a 10-year sentence.

When Agca was apprehended after shooting the pontiff in St. Peter's Square during a public audience, the Turk said he acted alone. Later he suggested Bulgaria and the Soviet secret services masterminded the attack on the Polish-born pontiff, whose championing of the Polish Solidarity labor movement alarmed Moscow.

Twice, Italian juries acquitted three Bulgarians and three Turks of alleged roles in the shooting. Agca has often given contradictory accounts and has claimed to be a Messiah.

Italian TV ran a brief video of the tomb visit, apparently filmed by an Italian journalist accompanying Agca in the basilica. The Turk is heard to mumble, "A thousand thanks, saint," and "Long live Jesus Christ."

He also said: "Today I have come because on Dec. 27, 1983, I met the pope."

Just a thought.

In Search....

Officer Rafael Ramos.

Sextremist...?*

A blond pro-choice activist wearing nothing over her torso except the written words "God is Woman" interrupted a Nativity scene at the St. Peter's Square in Rome on Christmas Day.

An online video of the incident shows the woman sneak underneath the fence and then storm the nativity display on a stone stage as hundreds of people watched.

She grabs the baby Jesus and hoists it over her head and yelled a message, but the video did not contain audio. She was quickly apprehended by an officer who covered her in his jacket. Eventually several cops responded and the woman was taken away in a vehicle.   Baby Jesus was returned to his manger.

The woman is part of Femen, an organization of topless female protestors who oppose the political power of the clergy.
The group states on its website that the unidentified "sextremist" was part of its campaign that opposes the church's stance on women's rights over their own bodies.

"The maniacal desire to control women's fertility is a common trait of many religions, National Socialism, nationalism and other antediluvian, anti-humanist ideologies," the group says. "Abortion is sacred!"

People are looking for the "Naked" Truth.         Just a thought.

"Don't Cry for.... Sony

The cyberattack on Sony exposed sensitive internal communications and coerced theater chains to drop one of the company's films. It represents a seminal moment in the advancement of hacking.

While the attack was not technologically sophisticated, its success may embolden other cyber criminals to follow suit.  The hackers not only released internal emails and other information, but wiped data from Sony's system.

North Korea called the comedy an "evil act of provocation" and threatened "stern punishment" against its star and co-director Seth Rogen. The crippling Sony Pictures hack followed soon after, with the studio's upcoming films and confidential, industry-shaking emails leaked.

Meanwhile, North Korea still denies any involvement in the Sony hack, even as the FBI pointed the finger at them. North Korea has issued a proposal for a joint investigation into the incident.

Sony Cancelled then cancelled the cancelation of broadcasting the film as the President, the Country and the public stood fast against this threat.

All in All, North Korea, if true, gave Sony a free publicities, no one else got, for a  (Non-Sense) movie. Let us see the review and the revenue once the dust settles.

Just a thought.

A Week-End- AbbVie

On Friday, the FDA approved AbbVie's Viekira Pak.
AbbVie had done Gilead a huge favor pricing its new hepatitis C drug on par with Gilead's Harvoni.
 
AbbVie announced a deal with Express Scripts making Viekira Pak the Exclusive hepatitis C drug covered by the pharmacy benefits manager for patients infected with the genotype 1 virus, [most common in US]. Gilead's Sovaldi will still be available for other genotypes 

Neither Express Scripts nor AbbVie is disclosing how much of a discount to get the exclusivity. You can't blame them; it's not to either company's advantage to disclose it, tipping off the authorities, the public, and the Congressional bodies.

Gilead was down 14% on the day of the annoucement,  investors are worried about the potential to be knocked out of other markets or give steep discounts. The discount problem is compounded because the price that government programs Medicare and Medicaid pay for drugs are set based on the price drug-makers give to private insurers. We could be in a full-blown price war soon between corporation to their own benefits.

With a thousand Dollars [$1000] per day treatment, the Pharmaceutical companies, PBMs and the Insurances having a FIESTA while the 3 Millions US patient is paying three folds the price of a European or Canadian patients. 

Chuck Schumer asking how come the Airline tickets is priced high while oil prices collapsing?  The answer is simple.
You don't have to travel, but you have to have health. Pay a little attention to what is important.

Just a thought.

Recklessness...?*

A Canadian woman was sentenced to 90 days in jail, no driving for 10 years and 240 hours of community service  for causing two deaths in 2010 when she stopped her car on a Quebec highway to help a group of ducklings crossing the road. Emma Czornobaj convicted of two counts each of criminal negligence and dangerous driving causing death.

According to media reports, Czornobaj stopped her car abruptly in the passing lane of a highway south of Montreal when she saw the ducklings. The motorcycle behind Czornobaj’s car then crashed into her vehicle, killing the 50-year-old man driving the motorcycle and his 16-year-old daughter.

“I just wanted to pick all these ducklings up and put them in my car,” Czornobaj had testified during her trial. “I know it was a mistake.”  

 She could have been killed with the ducks and others by this action.             Just a thought.

Big Mac.

 A government labor watchdog has accused McDonald's and some franchise owners of violating workers rights by retaliating against them for taking part in fast food protests.

According to the NLRB, the restaurant owners reduced hours and discharged some workers who took part in the movement. The employers also engaged in other "coercive conduct" against its employees, including surveillance, interrogations and restricting worker's ability to communicate with union representatives.

Worker advocates say the complaints filed suggest that the NLRB general counsel has seen evidence that McDonald's meets the legal definition of a joint employer.

McDonald's said in a statement that it will contest the allegations. The government agency "improperly and dramatically strike at the heart of the franchise system -- a system that creates economic opportunity, jobs and income for thousands of business owners and their employees across the country. You be the judge.         Just a thought.                                    [CNN]

Cuba's Deal

President Obama’s announcement to overhaul U.S. policy toward Cuba is historic.  The relationship between both nations frozen in time for decades despite the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War.

A spy swap, loosening of travel and economic restrictions, and launching of discussions to re-establish full diplomatic relations go as far as the president can go without congressional authorization. Now the ball is in the later.

Obama's unilateral move has gently shaken up the 2016 race to succeed him, exposing divisions among Republicans and possibly helping.

Potential contenders Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio adhered to the traditional Republican hard line. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who has a libertarian streak, backed the new policy. Paul said the 50-year-old embargo with Cuba "just hasn't worked."

Hillary Clinton also had asserted the previous policy was not working. In her memoir, "Hard Choices," she wrote that she urged Obama to shift. 

The isolation of Cuba kept the country backward for about 50 years. Thus there is no additional action can be taken against. On the other hand, Russia, the  restriction imposed is impacting the Russian economy hard and will eventually change their behavior. In other word, Obama's decision is historic. Just a thought.

Cigars...?*

President Obama announced the most significant change in U.S. policy toward Cuba in more than 50 years, paving the way for the normalization of relations and the opening of a U.S. Embassy in Havana.

Obama said "we will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries."These 50 years have shown, isolation has not worked. 

Obama said as these changes unfold, he will talk to Congress about lifting the embargo on Cuba. The U.S. severed diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961, shortly after Fidel Castro and his communist rebels ousted dictator Fulgencio Batista.

This decision by President Obama deserves the respect and recognition of our people," Castro said. However, this "does not mean that the most important issue has been resolved. The embargo on our country ... has to end."

The same "know it all" came out against the decision. So much talk, but the Republicans’ outcry against the new policy contradicts their own faith in the power of free market economies.   

Nobody dared to approach this issue for years. Obama did.

Just a thought.

Break nothin...

The unnamed man hired a crane in the town of Ijsselstein to lower him over his girlfriend’s house and into her garden for the surprise proposal on Saturday morning, emergency services spokesman Jelle Mulder told AFP.

The over amorous Dutchman became a home wrecker when the crane fell through the neighbor's roof.

During the attempt to right the crane up, it unfortunately slipped and fell on the house again,” he said. Neighboring houses were evacuated.
“We’re looking at the best way to lift the crane without it falling again,” said Mulder.

No one was hurt. “The people in the house the crane fell on are deeply shocked,” 

Despite the fiasco, the girlfriend accepted the marriage proposal, Dutch media reported, and the couple have gone on a holiday trip to Paris.  Then they have to pay dearly.

See the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wvenwxi10U

China woman Fined.

Former ally of China’s railway chief was ordered by a Beijing court to pay the largest fine so far after being convicted of bribery earlier this year.

Ding Yuxin was sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined 2.5 billion yuan ($403 million) for paying bribes and engaging in illegal business, the court said. 

“The number was extremely large and the violation was very serious,” Tang Bo, senior partner at W&H Law Firm, said in Beijing. 

Ding’s sentencing comes amid a two-year anti-corruption campaign to curb the graft that could erode the party’s legitimacy. More than 80,000 officials have been punished for breaking party rules, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Ding, 59, was described in her trial as the major financial backer of former Railway Minister, intervening in bidding for railway projects worth about 185 billion yuan and engaging in illegal business operations.

During trial, prosecutors said she gave Liu 49 million yuan in exchange for helping her and affiliated companies win 57 railway construction projects, in violation of state regulations, Xinhua reported.

Wide spread.....  Just a thought.

Sydney's Hostage

"We have seen, in the worst of times, the best of people,” Tony Abbott

 

 

Billing Fraud

The United States’ alleges that CareMed made false statements to insurance companies to secure prior authorization for the coverage of drugs by, among other things, fabricating Medicare beneficiaries’ medical information and posing as representatives of prescribing physicians’ offices when calling insurers.

The Complaint also alleges that CareMed engaged in double-billing by re-stocking unused dosages of Procrit and Rituxan, and then re-selling the drugs and re-billing insurance companies that provide prescription drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries or Medicaid.

In addition, the Complaint alleges that CareMed submitted false claims for payment for automatic refills of Procrit and Rituxan that were not actually received by patients and their doctors. The lawsuit seeks damages and penalties under the False Claims Act.

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney filed a civil fraud lawsuit  “CareMed”, a New York-based pharmacy that sells high-cost specialty drugs used to treat conditions that require complex treatment, such as cancer.

the United States has settled the claims against CareMed pursuant to a settlement stipulation approved today by U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote. In the settlement.

It is time to clean up the fraud. You must read your copy of billing. Just a thought.

Obama's Rebate?

President Obama is making America more energy independent and supporting jobs. Domestic energy-related emissions have fallen to their lowest level in 20 years, and our dependence on foreign oil is at a 20-year low — and declining.

America is producing more oil, gas, and renewable energy, and is becoming more energy efficient overall. These trends are increasing our energy security, cutting our carbon pollution, and enhancing our economic growth.

This Administration has made the largest investment in clean energy in American history.  Increased solar electricity generation by more than ten-fold, and tripled electricity production from wind power.

The Obama administration has taken several actions that advance energy efficiency in our vehicles and homes. Through partnerships with rural electric cooperatives, home efficiency upgrades, and private-sector partnerships. America has been able to cut its carbon emissions.

The prices of oil and Gasoline collapsed 40%. More money in the pocket of house owners, car owners and everybody else.

Obama Care and Obama Rebate are great gifts from this Administration, similar to Clinton's Budget Surplus. There is more to come.

See Obama promoting his Care on Steve Colbert show.

http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/full-episodes/9pryj4/december-8--2014---barack-obama#time=4m21s&index=1

Google and Canada Pills

Google has avoided a criminal prosecution in the US after agreeing to pay $500m to settle a government investigation into its display of advertisements from Canadian pharmacies which illegally sold prescription and non-prescription drugs to American consumers.

The settlement means the company will not face prosecution over accusations that it improperly profited from the ads. The $500m represents the gross revenues Google collected from the Canadian pharmacies plus the earnings generated by the illegal sales of drugs to American consumers, federal investigators said.

The Canadian prescriptions sold to American customers were considered “misbranded” under the statute because they were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. In some cases, the drugs were obtained from countries other than Canada that lacked adequate regulation of pharmacies. In reality it is the same medication and the same items.

So why wouldn't The United States legalize the importation of medications from Canada and other Nations to overcome the prices that is 100 to 500% more in cost and wipes out seniors' social securities? Why can't we change the law??

Just a thought.

It is the same medicine, should be the same cost. Just a thought.

Avril...






Avril Lavigne

Scheme

A new lawsuit claims CEO of Sanofi and other executives conducted a scheme to funnel tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks and other incentives to get the company's diabetes drugs prescribed and sold.

The whistleblower lawsuit also claims Sanofi CEO Christopher Viehbacher was fired by the company's board "in part, because he was involved in the aforesaid illegal and/or fraudulent activity," which allegedly went on "over the course of many years."

The suit says that Sanofi used contracts that appeared to be for legitimate purposes to direct money to hospitals, doctors and retail pharmacy chains to induce them to purchase and prescribe Sanofi's diabetes medication. It also claims that "approximately $1 billion is missing from Defendant Sanofi which has not been accounted for."

This come two years after the drug company reached an agreement with the Justice Department to settle claims that it engaged in kickbacks by giving doctors free samples of an arthritis drug as a way to encourage them to buy and prescribe that medication.
It impacts federal Medicare and Medicaid insurance programs, the tax payer wallet,
[CNBC-Dan Mangan]

Just a thought.             

Bill Cosby.

The LA Times reported that Hayes is claiming that Cosby groped her breasts in 1973 while they were at a restaurant.

Chelan, said that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her at the Las Vegas Hilton in 1986 when she was just 17, the same location where Florida nurse Therese Serignese claims she was raped by Cosby 10 years prior.

According to the LA Times, Chelan [identified by her first name only] told press that Cosby gave her a blue pill to "help with a cold." After she took it, she found that she couldn't move or say anything and that he began sexually assaulting her before she blacked out. She said she awoke hours later to hear Cosby clapping his hands and saying, "Daddy says wake up." He gave her $1,500 to buy something nice for her and her grandmother, she told reporters at the news conference.

Feminist attorney Gloria Allred addressed Bill Cosby,  threw down the gauntlet, asking Cosby to either waive the statute of limitations on allegations that more than 20 women have brought against him, or set up a $100 million account for his accusers and let a panel of retired judges review the claims.

Statute of limitation has expired, accusation were very old, but the Media, all of a sudden, are excited about it. Here is a suggestion of using 100 million of his money to start.... many don't believe the accusation. Just a thought.