XIAM007 - Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Friday, 10 September 2010

Canada’s banks rated most stable in the world - for the third straight year by the World Economic Forum -

Canada’s banks rated most stable in the world - for the third straight year by the World Economic Forum -

fi-Global-Competitiveness

Canada’s banking system has been ranked the world’s soundest for the third straight year by the World Economic Forum.

The Geneva-based think-tank also puts Canada in the top 10 countries for availability of financial services, corporate ethics, and overall quality of the educational system.

“It’s good to be No. 1,” Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Thursday in Kitchener. “It has made a big difference in terms of Canada’s reputation in the world, and our leadership in the world in the G8 and the G20, particularly with respect to fiscal matters.”

Canada’s big banks withstood the financial crisis without taking government bailouts, and recorded only a fraction of the $1.3 trillion (U.S.) in writedowns taken by banks and brokers worldwide.

Still, Canada dropped one place overall to rank 10th in the annual listing of competitive economies, released Thursday by the World Economic Forum.

Switzerland held on to the top spot for the second year in a ranking that blends economic data with a survey of more than 13,500 business executives.

The U.S dropped two spots to land at fourth place due to huge deficits and pessimism about government. It ranked No. 1 in 2008.

The think-tank said Canada benefits from highly-efficient markets, well-functioning and transparent institutions and excellent infrastructure.

20 Signs That The Health Care Industry Has Become All About Making As Much Money As Possible -

Once upon a time in America, people became doctors and nurses because they wanted to help people, building hospitals was a labor of love, lawyers didn’t chase ambulances, health insurance companies did not openly abuse their customers and greedy pharmaceutical companies did not dominate the entire health care industry. But today all of that has changed. Why do most people choose a career in the health care industry today? It is because they want to make a lot of money and live a comfortable lifestyle. Why do most health facilities get built today? They get built because someone is hoping to make a huge profit. Why do so many lawyers specialize in medical malpractice? Here’s a hint – it is not because they want to make life better for people. Why do health insurance companies keep raising premiums even while they are making record profits? It is because they can and because they are greedy. Why are pharmaceutical corporations some of the most profitable companies on the face of the earth even though their products are harming tens of millions of people? It is because our health care system has become wildly corrupt and is now about making as much money as possible.
Not that everyone in the health care industry is motivated by greed. Some doctors and nurses volunteer a ton of their time to assist the poor and the needy. Others use their vacation time to go overseas and provide free medical care in third world nations. Many religious groups and non-profit organizations build hospitals and clinics because they are truly trying to help people. And there are a few health insurance companies that are trying to play the game honestly.
But unfortunately, those with noble intentions in the health care industry are the exception rather than the rule. Overall, the health care industry in America is all about the money, and it is about time that we quit pretending otherwise.
The following are 20 signs that the health care industry in the United States has become all about making as much money as possible….
1 – Even as the rest of the U.S. economy deeply struggles, America’s health insurance companies increased their profits by 56 percent in 2009.
2 – According to a report by Health Care for America Now, America’s five biggest for-profit health insurers ended 2009 with a combined profit of $12.2 billion.
3 – The top executives at the five largest for-profit health insurance companies in the United States received nearly $200 million in total compensation in 2009.
4 – According to an article on the Mother Jones website, health insurance premiums for small employers in the United States increased 180% between 1999 and 2009.
5 – Health insurance premium increases are getting totally out of control. For example, the 39% increase in health insurance premiums that Anthem Blue Cross imposed on some California customers last year was so obscene that it made national headlines.
6 – Since 2003, health insurance companies have shelled out more than $42 million in state-level campaign contributions.
7 – There were more than two dozen pharmaceutical companies that made over a billion dollars in profits in 2008.
8 – Each year, tens of billions of dollars is spent on pharmaceutical marketing in the United States alone.
9 – Nearly half of all Americans now use prescription drugs on a regular basis according to a CDC report that was just released. According to the report, approximately one-third of all Americans use two or more pharmaceutical drugs, and more than ten percent of all Americans use five or more prescription drugs on a regular basis.
10 – According to the CDC, approximately three quarters of a million people a year are rushed to emergency rooms in the United States because of adverse reactions to pharmaceutical drugs.

11 – According to a very surprising new study, 85 percent of new pharmaceutical drugs are “lemons” and pose serious health risks to their users.
12 – The Food and Drug Administration reported 1,742 prescription drug recalls in 2009, which was a gigantic increase from 426 drug recalls in 2008.
13 – Shocking new research has found that expectant mothers taking antidepressantshave an astounding 68 percent increase in the overall risk of miscarriage. Yet the pharmaceutical companies are essentially doing nothing to stop this.
14 – The use of psychiatric medications among 18 to 34 year old members of the U.S. military and their wives increased by 42 percent between 2005 and 2009.
15 – There are some disturbing new medical studies that suggest that many of the most popular anti-depressant drugs are no more effective than a placebo.
16 – Pharmaceutical companies continue to rake in billions of dollars from selling vaccines and are encouraging even pregnant women to take them, even though there is mounting evidence that taking vaccines while pregnant dramatically increases the rate of miscarriage.
17 – One woman in New Hampshire is seeking more than $24 million in damages from the manufacturer of a prescription drug that she took for shoulder pain. It turns out that as a result of taking the drug, she is now blind and has been left scarred by internal and external burns.
18 – According to one stunning new study, the medical liability system in the United States added approximately $55.6 billion to the cost of health care in 2008.
19 – Pharmaceutical companies have become so greedy that now they are even attempting to patent our genes. It is being reported that over three million gene patent applications have been filed with the U.S. government so far. Tens of thousands of gene patents have already been granted at this point. It is estimated that companies hold approximately 40,000 patents on sections of the human genome right now. Those patents cover approximately 20% of our genes.
20 – According to a recent report, Americans spend about twice as much as residents of other developed countries on health care, but get much lower quality and far less efficiency in return.

Read more - http://www.blacklistednews.com/news-10484-0-8-8--.html

Tough Economy Forcing Record Number of Workers to Crack Their Retirement Nest Eggs -

The rough economy is taking its toll and pushing a record number of people to take money out of their retirement plans.

"I would say the No.1 reason is foreclosure," said David Wray, president of the Profit Sharing/401(k) Council. "What you have is two-income families, one person loses their job. Both people's income was necessary to make the mortgage payment."

In fact, July marked the 17th consecutive month that foreclosure activity exceeded 300,000 homes.

Beth McHugh, vice president of marketing insights at Fidelity, said that's a key reason more people are tapping their 401(k)s -- an uptick from about 20 percent to almost 22 percent.

"In the last six months we did see an up-tick in loan requests to prevent eviction and foreclosure," she said.

Thursday, 9 September 2010

Canada's New Speed Bump - optical illusion of an illustrated girl chasing a ball has been placed on the road -

You're Probably Not Expecting a Child to Run Out On the Road
An image of a child at play will replace some Canadian speed bumps in an effort to make drivers slow down.

Marking the back to school term, Preventable together with BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation and the District of West Vancouver have launched an optical illusion geared to making drivers slow down at high-risk intersections.

The optical illusion of an illustrated girl chasing a ball has been placed on the road northbound at 22nd street in West Vancouver. There are signs leading up to it saying "you're probably not expecting kids to run out on the road" to prepare drivers. The installation is meant to draw attention to the risk of children running into the street and was carefully tested before being put in place. It is in place for a few days only and is being monitored as a pilot to ensure pedestrian and driver safety are not risked. The illusion rises up gradually from about 100 feet away as not to surprise drivers, and it fades away by the time a driver approaches.

Read more - http://www.preventable.ca

Venezuelan police have arrested a man suspected of using Twitter to incite the assassination of President Hugo Chavez -

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan police have arrested a man suspected of using the Twitter social networking site to incite the assassination of President Hugo Chavez.

Federal Police Chief Wilmer Flores Trossel says the suspect is an employee from Venezuela's state power company and he will be questioned by prosecutors.

Flores told the local Globovision television channel on Thursday that the 27-year-old man sent messages through Twitter outlining an alleged plan to kill Chavez.

Flores did not provide additional details.

Chavez has often alleged that his adversaries want to assassinate him.

Obama Added More to National Debt in First 19 Months Than All Presidents from Washington Through Reagan Combined -

In the first 19 months of the Obama administration, the federal debt held by the public increased by $2.5260 trillion, which is more than the cumulative total of the national debt held by the public that was amassed by all U.S. presidents from George Washington through Ronald Reagan.

The U.S. Treasury Department divides the federal debt into two categories. One is “debt held by the public,” which includes U.S. government securities owned by individuals, corporations, state or local governments, foreign governments and other entities outside the federal government itself. The other is “intragovernmental” debt, which includes I.O.U.s the federal government gives to itself when, for example, the Treasury borrows money out of the Social Security “trust fund” to pay for expenses other than Social Security.

At the end of fiscal year 1989, which ended eight months after President Reagan left office, the total federal debt held by the public was $2.1907 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. That means all U.S. presidents from George Washington through Ronald Reagan had accumulated only that much publicly held debt on behalf of American taxpayers. That is $335.3 billion less than the $2.5260 trillion that was added to the federal debt held by the public just between Jan. 20, 2009, when President Obama was inaugurated, and Aug. 20, 2010, the 19-month anniversary of Obama's inauguration.

By contrast, President Reagan was sworn into office on Jan. 20, 1981 and left office eight years later on Jan. 20, 1989. At the end of fiscal 1980, four months before Reagan was inaugurated, the federal debt held by the public was $711.9 billion, according to CBO. At the end of fiscal 1989, eight months after Reagan left office, the federal debt held by the public was $2.1907 trillion. That means that in the nine-fiscal-year period of 1980-89--which included all of Reagan’s eight years in office--the federal debt held by the public increased $1.4788 trillion. That is in excess of a trillion dollars less than the $2.5260 increase in the debt held by the public during Obama’s first 19 months.

When President Barack Obama took the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009, the total federal debt held by the public stood at 6.3073 trillion, according to the Bureau of the Public Debt, a division of the U.S. Treasury Department. As of Aug. 20, 2010, after the first nineteen months of President Obama’s 48-month term, the total federal debt held by the public had grown to a total of $8.8333 trillion, an increase of $2.5260 trillion.

In just the last four months (May through August), according to the CBO, the Obama administration has run cumulative deficits of $464 billion, more than the $458 billion deficit the Bush administration ran through the entirety of fiscal 2008.

The CBO predicted this week that the annual budget deficit for fiscal 2010, which ends on the last day of this month, will exceed $1.3 trillion.

The first two fiscal years in which Obama has served will see the two biggest federal deficits as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product since the end of World War II.

“CBO currently estimates that the deficit for 2010 will be about $70 billion below last year’s total but will still exceed $1.3 trillion,” said the CBO’smonthly budget review for September, which was released yesterday. “Relative to the size of the economy, this year’s deficit is expected to be the second-largest shortfall in the past 65 years: At 9.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), that deficit will be exceeded only by last year’s deficit of 9.9 percent of GDP.”

Read more - http://cnsnews.com/news/article/72404

Wednesday, 8 September 2010

Two Asteroids to Buzz Earth Wednesday - a double flyby - discovered just days ago -

Skywatchers get ready: Two asteroids passing nearby tonight should make for quite a spectacle.

NASA says two small asteroids discovered just days ago will zip harmlessly past Earth on Wednesday, a double flyby that should be visible through a telescope.

Both asteroids should be observable with moderate-size amateur telescopes, the space agency said -- stressing that neither has a chance of hitting the Earth. In fact, asteroids like these are relatively common: A 10-meter near-Earth asteroid from the undiscovered population of about 50 million would be expected to pass almost daily within a lunar distance, and one might strike Earth's atmosphere about every 10 years on average, NASA said.

The asteroids were discovered Sunday by the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona. The Minor Planet Center in Massachusetts, which tracks asteroids and comets, determined there was no chance of an Earth collision.

Asteroid 2010 RX30, thought to be 32 to 65 feet (10 to 20 meters) long, passrf within 154,000 miles (248,000 kilometers) of Earth shortly before 3 a.m. PDT; (1000 GMT) Wednesday morning.

The second one, dubbed 2010 RF12, will fly by about 11 hours later at a distance of about 49,000 miles (79,000 kilometers). NASA says the second one is slightly smaller, at just 20 to 46 feet (6 to 14 meters) long.

16 condom machines installed in the San Francisco County Jail - although sex among inmates technically is illegal -

Looking for a little action?
You might want to try the San Francisco County Jail's San Bruno lockup, where authorities have installed 16 condom machines for the jail's 750 prisoners.
The condom dispensers are the latest evolution in a safe-sex program that began in 1989, when health workers began distributing condoms to inmates as part of their counseling before they were released.

And although sex among inmates technically is illegal, the Sheriff's Department went ahead and installed the 16 machines anyway - one for each jailhouse pod - paid for by a pair of small grants from UCSF and a Southern California nonprofit.
"It may be controversial," Sheriff Michael Hennessey said, "but I think the larger health education message is important."
As for the chance that all those machines will actually promote jailhouse sex?
The sex already takes place, says Kate Monico Klein, who is directing the program for the city's Public Health Department. "If (providing condoms) saves one or two lives, it's worth it," she said.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/08/BAQ91FA4QO.DTL&type=politics#ixzz0yyq9olKa

Monday, 6 September 2010

Asteroid Strikes Colombia - 3:10PM Sunday 05 SEPTEMBER 2010 - leaves a 300 foot wide crater and a lot of rattled nerves -

Colombian authorities confirmed that a "giant fireball" that fell from the sky in the Santander department, central Colombia, was a meteorite.

The Colombian media has been buzzing with eye witness accounts of the fireball, which caused a massive explosion at 3:15PM local time Sunday.

Andina.com reported that Bucaramanga Mayor Fernando Vargas confirmed that the phenomenon was a meteorite that left a crater 100 meters in diameter when it crashed into the earth in the San Joaquin municipality in Santander.

Colombian air force helicopters were commissioned to fly over the area to try to locate the source of the explosion.

The director of the University of Nariño's Astronomic Observatory, Alberto Quijano, told RCN RadioSunday that he believed the object was a meteorite.

In rural areas of Santander, police received reports that the explosion had shattered windows in the area.