Referendum...

 

The Iraqi government escalated its confrontation with its northern Kurdish region, threatening to send troops and seize oil fields and taking steps to shut down international flights in the region.

The moves came in retaliation for a referendum in which the region, Iraqi Kurdistan, voted decisively to seek independence from Iraq. Nearly 93 percent of voters approved the referendum, which aims to create an independent state for the Kurds, an ethnic minority in Iraq.

Iraq’s Parliament asked the country’s prime minister to deploy troops to the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, and to take control of all oil fields in the Kurdish region.

Iraq has called the vote illegal and has vowed to ignore the results. The vote has also provoked the Kurdish region’s two powerful neighbors, Turkey and Iran.

All three countries have been conducting military exercises near the border of Iraqi Kurdistan this week.

Quality...

 



New Jersey Governor Chris Christie held the third formal meeting of President Trump's ongoing Commission on Combatting Drug Addiction and Opioid Crisis.

NIH Director advised the commission that the agency is looking to build partnerships with researchers across academia, government, prescribers and patients to "cut in half the time needed to make available prescriptions that are non-addictive." And developing "potent but non-addictive drugs" for pain relief .

PhRMA CEO announced another significant step in the effort to curb the abuse of opioid prescriptions, telling the commission that the company will support limiting the supply of opioids to 7 days, as opposed to the traditional 30-day supply.

However, The 7 days supply suggested by the pharma manufacturing, will increase the healthcare cost by requiring frequent visitation to the Medical offices, and the pharmacies.  In addition, will reduce the quality of life of many of the patients who need assistance to reach medical office.

Get something new without multiplying the cost.   Just a thought.

Resist...

The book tour by Hillary is not really to document why did she loose. That is a one page summery. It seems to me that Hillary is campaigning for something in addition to money.

Schumer and Pelosi's cooperation with Trump will hurt even more as Trump's agenda of Tax reform, Immigration,.. etc takes place. So here it is, Resist....

Resistance...

There were more cases of sexually transmitted diseases reported last year than ever before.
Rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis  three of the most common S.T.D.s  grew for the second consecutive year. And while all three diseases are treatable with antibiotics, most cases continue to go undiagnosed, potentially causing infertility and other problems.

The syphilis rate rose most sharply, by 19 percent. Public health officials are particularly worried about an increase in the number of babies whose mothers are passing it to them in utero, which can cause stillbirths and infant deaths. Progress in the fight against S.T.D.s has “unraveled,” according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Young people, minorities and men who have sex with other men are at most risk of getting an S.T.D.  Chlamydia rates are highest among 15-to 24-year-olds, who accounted for nearly two-thirds of diagnoses last year, and among blacks. While chlamydia disproportionately affects women, the rate of reported cases among men grew more sharply last year.  

Most of the new gonorrhea and syphilis cases were among gay men, although rates are climbing for women, too. Public health officials are worried that gonorrhea is becoming resistant. Although gonorrhea rates are highest among blacks, they have jumped over the last few years among whites. 

Chauffeur...

Saudi Arabia said today that it will issue driver's licenses to women for the first time.

The announcement follows years of criticism of the conservative kingdom by human rights groups.

The move will come into effect on June 23, 2018. A committee consisting of representatives of several ministries will first study how to implement the change in accordance with religious and regulatory standards.

The shift comes several months after the Saudi king named a new crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The 32-year-old heir to the throne has pushed a program of reform in the country.

State Department spokeswoman called the change "a great step in the right direction."

No more chauffeur.

Waterway...

Archaeologists believe they have solved one of history's most puzzling questions - how the ancient Egyptians transported over 170,000 tons of limestone to build the Great Pyramid at Giza.

New findings at the site on the outskirts of Cairo have revealed purpose-built boats were used to transport the huge stones. The findings shed new light on how King Khufu’s tomb, built over 4,000 years ago in about 2550 BC, was built.

Archeologists have long known that some rock had been extracted eight miles from Giza in a place called Tura, while granite was quarried from over 500 miles away.

The 2.5-ton blocks were ferried through a system of specially designed canals before arriving at an inland port built just yards away from the base of the Great Pyramid.
The papyrus scroll is the only firsthand record of how the pyramid was built, and was written by an overseer named Merer.
He explained in detail how the limestone was moved from the quarry in Tura to Giza using the Bronze Age waterways.

Archaeologist Mark Lehner has also uncovered evidence of a waterway underneath the plateau the pyramid sits on.

The Guy...*

Former Subway restaurant pitchman Jared Fogle is set to plead guilty to having had sex with minors and distributing and receiving child pornography. The plea agreement says Fogle traveled to New York for sex with at least two minors between about 2010 and 2013 at the Plaza Hotel and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

He has an approximate net worth of $15 Million.
By the time he was 20 years old, his weight had ballooned to over 400 pounds.  He survived on copious amounts of pizza, ice cream, burgers, French fries, and more junk food. Consuming over 10,000 calories per day.

The Subway sandwiches in conjunction with an exercise routine led to him losing over 200 pounds. After the student newspaper published a story about his remarkable weight loss Subway executives took notice of the story.......  Didn't end well.

The End...

I watched the interview with Charlie Rose regarding the new book. Most of it was talking about how bad is Trump rather than a respective analysis to what happened.

From the discussion, it is obvious that the new means of communication, Face Book, and others  had a great effect on the process.   Just a thought.

Lips...*

Posted one year ago.

Re-shape...*

Brazil overtook the United States as the world leader for cosmetic operations.  With less than 3% of the world’s population, Brazil accounted for 12.9% of the cosmetic operations performed.

This included breasts reshaped, faces tweaked, tummies tucked, vaginas reconstructed, penises enlarged and buttocks augmented. The growth of the latter category was particularly spectacular with a near doubling in the past four years.

One doctor stressed the idealistic potential of his profession as “artists of the living form, dealing with body and soul”.  “it will be clear that aesthetic surgery brings the desired serenity to those that suffer by being betrayed by nature”.