Another stunning expose on why health care costs so much here. Take your BP meds before reading it. A drink or two might help as well.

Good evening, fatster. Man, you are depressing tonight (especially on the UN and Haiti).

In Bulgaria the whiz kid Simeon Djankov, the Finance Minister who resigned on Monday but rescinded his resignation when the Prime Minster quit on Wednesday, is rumored as likely to be the Prime Minister in the caretaker government to be appointed.

Regarding cholera in Haiti / UN. . .

What the link really says, in drag, is that advocates from Boston are pursuing a political tack rather than a liability case. That would be since there isn’t a court where one can “sue” the UN, except for the UN itself. Like it or not, immunity was rolled into the UN’s genesis from the gitgo. It’s not likely UN will roll over on that, expose itself to individual claims, and set a precedent — Ban (rather than an underling) has already said “No,” that would seem to be that.

Note, I’m not arguing merits, but surmising what’s going on according to that link.

Still, UN member states could gather together to help Haiti do something about its water. And what about Nepal? If Nepalese workers brought cholera from there to Haiti, it must still be in Nepal and have caused infections there as well. It’s hyper contagious, no? Where else might it have spread?

Regarding Obama and Section 5. . .

Did he just say that if you unlock the barn door and the horse gets out, you’ll still have your barn?

Thanks so much for the link, tuezday. I spent many years with an institution in the public sector, where all the patients were poor and dollars available to care for them were always shrinking, so a vastly different experience when compared to the hospitals the author researched. Just a small example: we were constantly evaluating the prices in our charge master, adjusting them as costs for an individual item (or class of items) went up or down. We chugged along admirably for those years until the local powers that be decided to follow the state-wide trend, shut down our 100+ years community institution, and contract everything out to a “non-profit”.

Very timely, informative article–and the research was done very well. Again, thnx so much for the link.

*wow* What a depressing Friday ‘newsdump’…! Not one bright spot, whatsoever…! 8-(

No fault of your’s, fatster, but, dayam…! *gah*

I do hope I’m not depressing, E. F. Beall, though that UN-Haiti article certainly was. I was stunned to see that.

Thnx for the update on the musical chairs in Bulgaria, btw.

CTuttle, there are bright spots! There’s that great item on preventing evictions in Detroit by community people banding together in solidarity. The 6th Circuit saw right through the 7-day-jail sentence sham. Republicans are in disarray on the immigration issue. American citizens do understand how badly we need public programs, and want to keep, if not improve, spending for them. Simpson & Bowles and Austerity efforts-USA are appearing more frayed and stale daily.

So, CTuttle, things are looking up. And even though the alarming global warming items are proliferating, that’s a sign that interest is building and let’s hope builds quickly into a critical mass of demand for rapid change in what we’re doing to Gaia.

Meanwhile, allan should be along soon enough to post something that will lift our spirits–if not more finely hone our sense of the absurd.

And don’t forget Scoop Nisker’s old sign-off (which I hope I’m rendering accurately enough; if not, may I be forgiven): If you didn’t like the news, go out and make some of your own.

I love your summation, maa8722. I was taken aback by that. Maybe it lost something in translation.

Let me shine some sunshine on what truly ails us… Taming Capitalism Run Wild…

And, here’s a brilliant local proposal that could readily be adopted stateside… Light on the Earth…

Aloha, M’dear…! I wasn’t casting aspersions…! Altho, I may be a tad too cynical in my views…! *g*

Here, to make you all feel better, take a 360 vacation of London. You can even zoom in close enough to see people standing in the cars of the London Eye.

I know the wiki isn’t infallible, maa8722, but I do find it usually a good source for basic info. Here’s their article on cholera, which of course is always around, waiting for the right conditions:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholera

And here’s a document which includes measures to take to control it when there’s an outbreak:

http://www.cliniciansoftheworld.org/WHO_Guidelines_Cholera_Control.pdf

Just google Haiti and cholera–that outbreak took everybody by surprise. Very dramatic–one disaster right on top of another.

Oh, great, I love Bill Moyers! And sustainability–Yes!

Thnx so much, CTuttle.

Oh: Aloha and Mahalo, too!

Awwwwww, how wonderful, tuezday! You are so considerate and of good cheer, too.

I’m glad you found it informative. I haven’t had a chance to read the whole thing yet, but what I did read was interesting. Who knew, our anger should be directed at the hospitals and not insurance companies.

What would the world be like without all the corruption…

Of course, if BT has that technology, what the governments of the world has…

Oh, just don’t think about it tonight.

:)

That ferris wheel is the hugest! Surely people get altitude sickness from riding in it.

And, of course, I had to follow up on this.

Great stuff, tuezday.

Since I’m on a roll. Snakes as eye candy: Serpents.

Okay, FDL’rs (or whatever we call ourselves), I created a grand video (coincidentally, the first video store to open up in my town when I was a kid was called, “Grand Video”) re: Obama’s 11ty-demensiony Chess. He’s actually doing it, it’s just that he’s playing for the wrong side.

I don’t know how to embed a video here, but I’m going to link. This is the only site I know of that can grasp that a person can be a LIBERAL and NOT supportive of Obama. I look forward to your feedback.

Here’s the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dr1KOO-b0w

*heh* A 360 view from the tallest building in the World…! And, they’re planning to build the biggest Ferris Wheel…! ;-)

Eeeeeeeeek!

Whew!

Well, once I got over the sight of all those snakes, I started reading the comments. Don’t miss them.

Islamists are U.S. grunts. Useful bc they can be either enemies or friends depending on USG need du jour, can be switched from one category to the other like turning on or off a light switch and can be burned when not useful alive or more useful dead. (Think OBL bef election. “Capture” of long-dead OBL was saved for favorable domestic political influence timing.)

U.S. made up AQ when SoDist of NY was prosecuting African embassy bombing guys. Wanted to include OBL, in absentia, in case. Under existing law, could do that only under RICO, and then only if he were head of criminal org.

Those were the quaint days when USG still made a pretense that the U.S. had laws.

Fascinating, CTuttle. I just learned that burj khalif’s design came from the spider lilly. Ain’t that sumpthin? Skidmore Owings & Merrill did the design, etc.–and they’re actually older than I. Speaking of which, the Empire State Building is probably wild enough for me.

I’ll bet the plumbing in that building is something else again, too.

PS Here’re some other tall ferris wheels, including that one in London. I think the Santa Monica pier one is about my size–and hopefully my speed, too, lol.

Thnx for sharing your video, sloopydrew. All these issues, manufactured crises, etc. As a friend would say, Gah!

More on Hanford… What is going on at Hanford…?

On Edit: As I posted this, BBC world news mentioned it on their update here in the Isles…!

Thanks for watching, fatster! I’ve been waiting for SOMEONE to give it a chance. You just made my miserable night SLIGHTLY less miserable.

Hey, did you read the link to the 6th Circuit’s decision, returning a too-low sentence on coprorate fraudsters? That’s good news! There’ve been a few of those from courts lately.

That’s one of only a few I’ve read so far.

I heard one of the lawyers on that lawsuit against the UN on radio today (The World, maybe?) Came in late so missed the beginning, but I was wondering where they had filed this lawsuit. I figured that immunity was in the charter.

Actually, the lawyer pretty much said later in the interview that the UN could at least rebuild Haiti’s water system so the people could have clean water, whether legally required to or not.

*heh* It’s still some mighty slim pickings, M’dear…! ;-)

Yeah, well, you take the cherries with the, um, pits. ; )

And don’t forget to listen to the Bob Marley link!

(you’re not up on the mountain, are you? Snowed in?)

My pleasure, sloopydrew.

:)

“the UN could at least rebuild Haiti’s water system”

Thnx so much for that update, tejanarusa. At least!

I’m sure glad I’m not up top, a foot of snow has fallen…! And big-time flooding here at sea level, even…!

A most righteous rant, sloopy…! ;-)

If you’re driving tonight, for heavens’ sake, do drive carefully, CTuttle. Looks cold and wet. Brrrrr.

*heh* Fortunately, I’m not operating anything but my mouse, tonite…! ;-)

:)

Ok, good; then I don’t have to worry. G’night, CTuttle.

By-the-by, M’dear, when I scrolled up from Swopa’s ln post, it said: Faster’s Roundup…! ;-)

Sweet dreams, fatster…!

” this tool, that allows you to kind of stay ahead of certain practices.”

“Kind of stay ahead”?

Why is Obama thought of a such a brilliant orator?

Thanks, Fatster. I looked there. It’s horrific.

I also asked a doctor neighbor about it. She says cholera has all the worst attributes imaginable for any disease. It seems the bug is getting resistant to antibiotics, sort of the way TB is. And most cholera cases don’t have symptoms, so it spreads easily. Even a seemingly “healthy” carrier can easily infect the water supply. There is no map yet for how to eradicate cholera, so it won’t be like defeating polio or small pox (those two were viruses, though) in our lifetime. Conditions inviting a flareup aren’t entirely understood.

I remember getting cholera shots in the 70s when in the Air Force. There must have been over a dozen diseases we were immunized against, but they were on different booster schedules. A shot here, a shot there, throughout the calendar for 20 years — a couple of them (I don’t remember which) precluded me from donating blood for the rest of my life, they said.

The UN acting like a giant corporation and evading responsibility for what those troops were doing in its name looks like the end of the road for that body; it has become a big tool for the organization of plantetary military intervention, placing a vague legitimizing seal of approval on the acts of the major powers.

It’s never really possible to be cynical enough!

Canadian Internet spying bill withdrawn due to public pressure

Elizabeth May, member of Parliament, and leader of Green Party Canada: (a brilliant, outstanding Canadian)

“The announcement that the so-called “Protecting children from Internet Predators Act,” originally called “lawful access,” and dubbed so effectively by openmedia.ca as the “online spying bill,” C-30 will be withdrawn is news worth celebrating.”

http://www.greenparty.ca/blogs/7/2013-02-19/death-bill-c-30

Oh, yes, those old bacterial things such as cholera and the bubonic plague are still with us, maa8722.

I’ve heard some pretty wild stories from people going through the military’s array of shots before, too. They’re told with a smile and maybe even a chuckle, but they aren’t very amusing upon reflection.

Hey, hey, mafr, we need many Elizabeth Mays–on both sides of that heavy dotted line to the north of me, running coast to coast. How wonderful!

And . . . Good Morning!

Cynical? Us?

Srsly, Matthew Detroit, if you’ll check up at comment # 31, tejanarusa has an encouraging update. Not that they’ll act on it, as they should, but it does indicate pressure’s being put on them–and the more, the better.

Land assembly, Chicago style

Architectural blogger Lee Bey interviews filmmaker David Schalliol about Norfolk Southern railroad’s plans for a section of a Southside neighborhood. Video link available.

If you need a little help after “The Area,” try the first video in the series, “Market Fisheries.” Having shopped there for years, I can vouch for the product. The customer who comes in from South Holland —that’s a bit like a Zabar’s run from Hempstead.

Unbelievable that they tore down that gorgeous Goes building, prostratedragon. It was a gem that could easily have been converted for other uses.

Thnx for the link.