The Bubble?

In 2013,  3.20 billion barrels of gasoline were consumed² in the United States, about 6% less than the record high in 2007.

US consumed 18.89 million barrels per day.   Production averaged about 9 million barrels of crude a day, the most since 1986.  .

Wind energy is breaking records across the U.S., thanks to long-needed transmission upgrades that are relieving congestion on the power grid and allowing more clean energy to reach consumers. In 2011. One TWh is essentially enough energy to power a city of 200,000 people for an entire year. The U.S. generated 121 TWh.

US produce as much as Saudi Arabia, and consume less. As the price decline, the unprofitable wells will decline, temporary.  Just a thought.

Sober Monitors.

 

Fraternities and sororities at the University of Virginia must now have "sober monitors" at their parties and beer kegs and mixed drinks will be forbidden, according to new rules decreed by University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan.

Sullivan said that all recognized social groups must sign an agreement before Jan. 16 pledging to follow the new rules. Only then, she said, will the university lift the ban on parties that was put in place in response to a November 2014 Rolling Stone Magazine article about an alleged lack of response by the university to sexual assaults.

The Rolling Stone article centered on a woman named “Jackie” . But the veracity of Jackie's allegations have since been questioned and the magazine was criticized for poor fact checking.

Many of the rules are ideas that have been implemented at other schools throughout the country.  The guidelines would apply to all 700 social organizations on campus, not just fraternities and sororities.

More safer for the students, though not all of them may like it. Just a thought.

Find and Deport..... Paris.

Prosecutors said two gunmen arrived at the building in a black Citroen C3 car, killing a receptionist before heading to the third-floor offices of the magazine where they shot dead eight journalists, a guest and a police officer who had been assigned to protect workers. Four people were also critically injured.

A second police officer was killed outside as the suspects fled before abandoning their car, hijacking a Renault Clio by throwing out its driver.

France raised its terror threat level following the attack at the central Paris building housing weekly Charlie Hebdo and stepped up security for media organizations, large stores and places of worship.

We will find the people who did this," French President Francois Hollande said. "France is today shocked by this terrorist attack."

These terrorists had support from others, friends, family members, etc. They all should be prosecuted. Those who knew about these terrorists' activities should be deported to where FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS NOT PRACTICED.

Just a thought.

Tele-Medicine...

 

If you’ve ever waited more than an hour at an urgent care clinic for a sore throat, you know that the whole business of going to a doctor can seem frustratingly antiquated. How many times have you wanted to see a doctor, but decided to postpone it for as long as possible on account of the hassle? The trek there, the rude receptionist, the waiting room–all for just three minutes of doctor time.

Well, it looks like change might finally be on the horizon. Thanks to the growing availability of telemedicine or telehealth services, you can now video conference with a doctor from home any time–even in your pajamas. Sounds amazing, if also a little too good to be true.

Right now there are about 200 telemedicine networks and more than half of U.S. hospitals are using it in some way to better connect doctors with patients with chronic illnesses like heart disease, according to the American Telemedicine Association.

The phenomenon, when used appropriately, telemedicine is not only safe, it’s a much-needed option. As long as your doctor have your history, Blood test, etc.

It would be very helpful for those who are unable to move easily from one place to another, after discharge from the hospital, or need assistance. So check it out.

Just a thought.

Baby Dax

Image is not related.

Katie Amos and her fiancé Lee Johnston were enjoying a holiday getaway to New York when she unexpectedly went into labor while walking through Central Park. Baby Dax was born 11 weeks early, weighing just 3 pounds.

The boy won't be ready to go home until March. In the meantime, the new parents have been given accommodations at Ronald McDonald House, which helps families of hospital patients free of charge.

The British couple worried about a possible $200,000 hospital bill after their baby was born prematurely on the trip. 

Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan said it would ensure that "there will be no financial impact to the family," whose ordeal garnered media attention in the U.K. and the U.S.

The hospital would work with the family's insurance carrier regarding payment for all services rendered.

A Facebook page set up to raise money for the family also posted that "all medical bills will be covered."

To help cover the medical bills, the couple posted their story and an appeal for donations on the website GoGetFunding.com, under the title "Dax's Tale of New York."

How many Americans couldn't pay their healthcare inflated Bills?  Can we improve our healthcare services to make it efficient similar to other advanced Countries?

Just a thought.

Deer Hunters.

The season for both gun and bow hunters has been extended through the end of January, including weekends.

The state Department of Agriculture estimates some 30,000 deer live in Suffolk. They are blamed for the spread of tick-borne diseases, auto accidents and crop damage.

Some homeowners bordering the hunting grounds are worried that weekend hours will bring a flood of hunters from across the Northeast. Weekend hunting had always been allowed upstate.

“I don’t think it’s a real good idea, especially on the weekends when the kids are home.
“I’ve seen it before, you know. They’ll drop a deer at the corner of your property and get blood trails all the way back there and that’s not right. One resident

The state’s deer-culling sharpshooter program last spring was widely considered a disappointment. However, hunter Craig Dahlgren said alternative solutions that have been tried have not worked.  Some think hunting is the best way.  

I am not too crazy about the whole thing and particularly the Bows. It is unfair trade.   Just a thought.

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.