Salute the Heroes

Hospitals' Dilemma...?

St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan closed in 2010. 

Mount Sinai Beth Israel, an 825-bed hospital, served downtown Manhattan for more than 125 years, will close. It will be replaced by a much smaller building of 70 beds with an emergency department several blocks away. It will also include expanded outpatient facilities at three sites with more than 35 operating and procedure rooms and 16 physician practice locations to be used by over 600 doctors.

At its core, health care was just too costly, said Dr. Kenneth L. Davis, president and chief executive of the Mount Sinai Health System.

“We have the macroeconomics of health care which is that it is unaffordable for everyone,” Dr. Davis said in an interview. Beth Israel, he said, stood to lose $2 billion in the next 10 years because of changes in federal reimbursement structures alone.

Dr. Davis said large hospitals were also no longer the most efficient vehicles for delivering care, in part because of medical advances. 

The Mount Sinai system said in a statement that it would invest $500 million in changing the way it delivered health care and that it was “committed to retraining and placing” as many of its current employees as possible elsewhere in the system. Every union job had been guaranteed.

Big and small Pharma price their medications thousands of folds what it is. Importation of medications is not allowed...  Many hospitals either closed or overhauled the operation since 2000.
 
Politicians should look for a long term solution not just talk.

Just  a thought. 

We wished

Just when you thought the 2016 election was starting to get a little predictable, a big wrench has been thrown into the works. 

A Donald Trump vs. Bernie Sanders debate is getting closer to becoming a reality. It will likely be a huge boost for Sanders, a mild aid to Trump, and to borrow the key buzz word of this election so far – a YUGE pain in the neck for Hillary Clinton.

For Sanders, this entire election has been a "nothing to lose" proposition. He was given no chance to even make a dent in Mrs. Clinton's inevitable coronation by the Democrats. And as a lifetime Senate backbencher, he was not in danger of losing a chairmanship or leadership position. The latest PPIC poll shows Sanders trails her by just two percentage points among likely California primary voters. 

Needless to say, the contest would no doubt be the most-watched event in Sanders' political life and Clinton wouldn't even be there to defend herself. For a campaign that's been suffering a number of failures lately, its refusal to debate Sanders and setting off this alternative contest vs. Trump is perhaps the biggest failure yet. She can't even benefit from a sympathy factor if Trump and Sanders get too nasty in attacking her in absentia, because her absence is entirely her own fault.

Exposure will be worth it, even for the overexposed Trump.  Trump's #1 best goal is to prove to as many people as possible that he's not crazy. And a relatively cordial, yet lively, debate vs. fellow firebrand Sanders would go a long way toward accomplishing that goal. And each and every moment Trump and Sanders seem to be on the same page about Hillary Clinton's record or choreographed path to the Democratic nomination will be extremely helpful to the Trump camp. Trump's winning image as an outsider can only be enhanced by a sustained national TV appearance with fellow outsider Sanders.

This will be watched by Huge number of voters that never happened before. Just a thought.

No Bananas

PETA member gives out bananas at a busy intersection in Hong Kong on February 13, 2009.

Live-streaming has become a major source of revenue in China, which has 668 million people online.

Central authority governing Internet activities has struggled to keep up its conservative standards, recently banning the eating of bananas "erotically" during live streams.

Ministry of Culture announced that all of the major platforms TV were under investigation. It said that these platforms were accused of hosting content that was too vulgar, violent, or too sexual."

Much of the content on various live streaming sites could be considered seedy, and some goes well beyond the borders of good taste. Many female broadcasters wear revealing costumes, and authorities recently cracked down after live pornographic scenes were broadcast on at least two sites. 
                    
Viewers can buy these imaginary gifts such as images of flowers or bottles of beer for their favorite performers, who receive a portion of the cash, with the site getting a hefty cut. Viewers can also send comments that pop up onscreen, giving them the perception they are interacting with the host.

This business model works in China because it builds on the traditional culture of giving red envelopes stuffed with money at weddings and fruit, cigarettes or bottles of booze at Lunar New Year.
 
The competition is already stiff.  Just a thought.   

Meet the Next President.....

Immigration: Trump has argued that the U.S. needs to crack down on illegal border crossings. Building a giant wall along the border and strict visas for some.   

TRADE:  He’s a critic of free trade agreements.  He argued that America should confront alleged currency manipulation by China.

Job Creation: He puts job creation as front and center in his agenda.

TAXES: Time To Get Tough,” which would eliminate corporate taxes entirely, end the estate tax, reduce capital gains taxes, and slash individual tax rates across the board.  

HEALTH CARE: Trump called for universal health care, a position puts him out of step with the GOP mainstream.

Foreign Policy: Not to start wars in the Middle East to satisfy the Saudis [Iraq, Syria, Libya. Hillary was instrumental in these disastrous creations]. The Saudi should do it for themselves and pay for it themselves. 

ENTITLEMENTS: He criticized Republicans for proposing cuts to entitlements.

Pharmaceutical Companies: He repeatedly referred to the price gouging of pharma for medications sold in USA.

I don't knw what Hillary wants... She is just dancing around certain issues. She wants to proof that Trump isn't good and then by default she becomes the President. Not Happening.
Just a thought. 

Roots...

Sunday

Monday

Pilgrimage

Lost in the highway...and having fun

Business is business, No tie

Knowing my roots, is a journey to know myself.   Just a thought

One Way...!

Get ready, America. Our collective dream of a presidency may soon be realized. The former Democrat continues to lead the Republican field, after the lamestream media assured us Trump would fade.

Ted Cruz and Kasich teamed together against Trump... Both lost and got out in one week.
The Big Money, super pack, to stop Trump movement... failed and back fired at little Marco.
Fox News danced around, but now "Fair and Balanced network" cann't ignore the News.
The Bushes, Mitt Romney, .....  and many, failed to convince any against Trump.

Hillary Clinton is embroiled in an FBI investigation into “top secret” information email network.
She is making errors. First, she assumes a third term of Obama. Second, her comment on Coal which impacts three States. Third, she will let Bill fix the economy. Nothing about immigration, building the country.... etc.

Socialist Bernie Sanders is beating her in many States, but he may not have the same appeal in a general election versus Trump, even though they agree on almost every issue.
Republican voters realized the deceptive practices of many politicians. They booted them out swiftly.

Trump’s campaign platform of making the American Dream “bigger, better, and stronger than ever before” is a very desirable goal, it is a dream. Dealing with illegal Immigration, Safety of the public, and building a wall Job creation is, for all intensive purposes, politically flawless.

All roads lead to Rome.    Just a thought.

Price Gouging....

In a heated exchange on CNBC, Andrew Left, a short seller, founder and executive editor of Citron Research, took on Mallinckrodt's CEO, Mark Trudeau, about the value of his pharmaceutical company and how it differs from Valeant.

Left, who called the decline in Valeant  [$264 to $28], said Mallinckrodt makes Valeant look like a "choirboy" by comparison. He said that the company's drug Acthar, which is used to treat seizures in babies, is the "poster child" of price gouging.

Skeptics have focused on Mallinckrodt's acquisition of Questcor in August 2014, which makes Acthar, which is a drug whose pricing was raised from $40 to more than $28,000 a vial over a decade. Left offers one million dollars for a proof that the Acthar works... It doesn't.

Shares of the Dublin-based Mallinckrodt are down more than 50 percent.  

Trudeau noted that Acthar represents less than one-third of the company's business, and it's growing at about 8 percent per year.

Shame, Shame, Shame on the legislators who know how to eliminate the rippoff and look the other way.        Just a thought.

Cruise's Danger

Samantha Broberg, 33, was reported missing by her travel companions. A ship-wide search was conducted and the ships camera footage was reviewed, Carnival said.

The video shows that she fell into the Gulf of Mexico from the 10th deck of the ship at approximately 2 a.m. Friday, but the Coast Guard was not contacted until 5 p.m. Friday, when her disappearance had been confirmed.  By then the search by the US Coast Guard is delayed for 15 hrs and the night is closing in.

The Coast Guard said aircrews searched through the day and into the evening Saturday, and after stopping the search for the night when darkness fell Saturday, planned to resume at first light Sunday.

"Based on the video analysis, it appears she climbed up and sat on a deck railing and subsequently fell backwards," Carnival spokeswoman said.

Carnival Liberty departed from Galveston, Texas, on a four-day Mexico cruise on Thursday. 

A mystery that happens more often  and the information is not clear.  Just a thought.

Ride...*!

John Caltabiano claimed he couldn’t drive, cook for himself, exercise at the gym, move around his house or even shave without help.      He had lost his sight in a workplace accident at a cement company in 2006 and, since then, he bumps into things and hurts himself at home.

Investigators had caught Caltabiano on video appearing to be reading something, driving a vehicle and then braking in time to avoid hitting a woman and child in the street.

The investigation found that Caltabiano did lose sight in one eye in a workplace incident, but there was no indication that his other eye was affected.

He was sentenced to 5 years in prison.  Just a thought.

Walk... ?

 

Two years ago, Marc Mezvinsky and his partners made a big bet on Greece. Mezvinsky, who is married to Chelsea Clinton, raised $25 million for the Eaglevale Hellenic Opportunity fund, which bought Greek bank stocks and government debt, as investors hoped the nation’s economy would recover and deliver dividends in spades.

That didn’t pan out.   And so Eaglevale’s wager on Greece’s resurrection flopped, and the fund is now shutting down after losing 90 percent of its value, according to The New York Times.

Mezvinsky, who spent eight years at Goldman Sachs before founding Eaglevale Partners with two other former Goldman-ites, manages about $330 million, according to the Times. The boutique hedge fund makes macroeconomic bets based on geopolitical and global economic events.

 

If things don’t pick up, perhaps Mezvinsky could walk away from Wall Street for good and stay home with his growing family. He and Chelsea are expecting their second child. Sure, their expenses would quickly add up with that lavish apartment and expensive SoulCycle habit. But given what his wife reportedly charges for speaking fees, they should be just fine.            Just a thought.

The Business of Conflict???

The protesters in the green zone  were chanting anti-Iranian slogans,  they and the process of toppling this government are all very satisfactory to the Mullahs in Iran.  

Back in the current kerfuffle, Sadr himself is of mixed Iraqi/Iranian descent and has spent plenty of time in Iran. The fact that his supporters are complaining about Iranian influence does not mean they aren’t acting in accordance with the wishes of their neighbor.   This  may actually turn out worse for ISIS. The Shiite militias hate ISIS and they have already been getting some sectarian slaughtering in during the retaking of Ramadi.  The Iranian-backed militias really hate the Sunni civilians where ISIS operates. So let’s stop trying to cobble together three groups that hate each other: Shia, Sunni and Kurd.  The Kurds already have a state in everything other than recognition; the Shiites are perfectly happy with their Iranian friends; and the wild card is the Sunni regions where ISIS is entrenched. The tribes who live there are the same ones who allied with the U.S. in 2006 to kill the ISIS precursor al Qaeda in Iraq.

Four parties hate each other and all of them hates USA's intervention. Two are fighting today, tomorrow the other two will try to eliminate each other.        Just a thought.

Glock...!?

For more than 20 years Reverend Robert Schenck has been a leading opponent of abortion, a fighter on the frontlines of the culture wars.

"How can evangelicals be pro-life AND pro-gun? Who will ultimately save us? Christ or a Glock?"
"A man or a woman who wants to defend his or her family legally owns a firearm in case someone comes into their home. How is that un-Christian?"

"Well, first of all you're making an immediate decision that if someone invades your home, they are going to die," Rev. Schenck replied. "So you are ready to kill another human being in your home.
What about "love your enemies."

"Even a potential intruder? Someone who's been coming into your home to hurt you?"
"Absolutely. Is it always God's will that I survive a violent confrontation with another human being? 

Rev. Schenck can be full of surprises. He was raised Jewish, which is why he says he's pro-life.
At 17 he converted to Christianity, and by the early nineties was a conservative evangelical minister.

"I'm haunted, not just by the murder of Dr. Slepian [Abortion doctor], but by the other murders committed in the name of the pro-life cause,"  Rev. Schenck. "

In 2013 a gunman killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard right in Schenck's neighborhood.
"For me, the most powerful part of it is the conscience. And that's the heart, and that's the mind. And that's where I'm going right now."        Just a thought.

The Tangerine Tornado...

 

A simple message.
Let us not conclude that any candidate won the election yet. No one is the definite next president of the United States of America yet. It is too early.

Feel the Burn is still in the race. He has a very good agenda that matters to the whole segment of population. It attracted me personally. Millions are inspired with his message. Minimum Wage, College Education, Wall street, Foreign wars, Criminal Justice Reform, Tax Reform, Healthcare. Bernie's agenda will be adopted by the next President.

Crooked is still being investigated for something related to the emails. It could be "creating her own server" is also a problem.
Her message is "I am a woman" and this guy doesn't respect women. About Borders, Immigration, Foreign policy, Criminal Justice reform, Big Banks, Healthcare, Medication cost, ... etc. nothing.

Same message of those who said "I am conservative".. and Trump isn't.

Trump is called the Tangerine Tornado by the Church Lady at the SNL. see the sketch.

Whoever becomes the president will have to follow the agenda mentioned earlier. Millions of Bernie's are committed to it. Just a thought.

Canada's Wild-Fire

Some of the 80,000 residents who had fled Fort McMurray to Anzac after a mandatory evacuation notice were told just after midnight that they would have to move again.

"Buses are being assembled," authorities said in a statement, adding they were "going door to door " and urging people to "remain calm."

Six reception centers were operating within the province, officials said at a news conference.

More than 250 firefighters, helicopters and air tankers were fighting the fires that have extended over more than 24,000 acres. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley announced that a "Memorandum of Understanding" has been signed with the Canadian Armed Forces for air support to assist with transportation as needed.

Residents were advised by the Rural Municipality of  the changing weather patterns.

In the latest official estimates for Fort McMurray, the Beaconhill neighborhood has lost 70 percent of homes, Abasand 50 percent, Waterways lost 90 percent and around 30 houses were lost in Wood Buffalo. No injuries or fatalities have been reported.

Sad story. Let us be thankful as we celebrate Mother's Day.  Just a thought.

Yawn...

Cruz is out so is Kasich. Now what? Big Yawn for a week.   Just a thought.

Happy Easter

كل سنةوانتم جميعا بصحة وسلام