30 Mayıs 2012 Çarşamba

Congress Drops the Ball While Children Can’t Get Their Drugs for Cancer Treatment–And Many of the Cancers Can be Cured–Shame on Boehner’s Response–For 14 Months the Bill Has Been In the Works

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Over a year ago the bills started and today drug shortagesimage are still looming.  The bill is stuck in the Senate, why does it take 14 months before anything begins to happen.  The FDA commissioner, Dr. Margaret Hamburg  has called for the law to put through so they can be notified when there are drug shortages looming.  Watch the video and see what Boehner has to say, he respect the system..boy are in bad shape if that’s the case.  Many of the drugs in short supply are generic as some companies are no longer making them due to not enough profit. 

The bill needs a full vote of the Senate to become law and that’s where it has been stuck so one more tarnish on the GOP lawmakers for sure.  Harry Reid said they should have it on the floor shortly and his response was “it’s always been that way here, slow”.   We all know different and have seen things hit the floor and get passed, it just seems to depend on who has a sense or urgency and concern for their fellow man and children. There’s all this talk about saving money with cancer care, well not too long ago I had this story about UCLA spending two hours out of every day, calling around to borrow or work with suppliers to ensure their cancer patients when they come in for treatment, that the drugs will be there.    As long as this goes on who can even think about cost savings it goes right out the door and patients may or may not get their cancer drugs.  What is also ironic is that the Cancer facility at UCLA is making some breakthroughs with cancer research and targets.  BD 

Drug Shortages Continue–UCLA Spends 2 Hours A Day Checking on Cancer Drug Availability–ASHP Website Lists All Current Shortages





Fifteen months ago today, Republicans and Democrats introduced bills to solve to problem. The Preserving Access to Life-saving Medications Act would require drug companies to notify the FDA if a shortage is coming. Both parties and the President support the bills, yet they haven't passed.

CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook found out more about the shortage and then traveled to a place he'd never worked before -- the U.S. capitol.

"I've been in Congress for 16 years," Degette said to CBS News. "I have never seen a Congress more difficult to pass legislation. I think you should call the leadership and ask them why they haven't brought this bill up for vote!"

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57429527/life-saving-cancer-drugs-for-children-stuck-in-federal-legislative-limbo/


Pebble Watch–Companion for iPhone and Android As a Companion for mHealth Apps With Crowd Source Funding (Video)

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This entire story is interesting in going just beyondimage what the watch does in the fact that it was funded by a company called Kickstarter.  You can review the page and see the folks that pledged money to get the project off the ground here and this relates to the hot topic of crowd funding. 
All it took to contribute was a dollar and 283 backers jumped in.  The watch supports blue tooth and connects to your phone, so just convenience with being on your wrist to check emails, get alerts, and so on shows how this will probably be a big hit.  It is water resistant.  There have been smart watches out before and this is not the first but the design and connection to the cell phone might be the trick here.  If you were receiving alerts as an example to remind you to take your meds, this would be convenient as one example to not have to reach for your phone.image  Battery life is stated to be about 7 days, less time than charging your phone.  You can listen to music, take it on the golf course and it will track GPS information from your bike, which of course is right into exercise.  I like the fact that you can shake your wrist to dismiss a message too.  A watch with apps! 
The watches have all sold out and will ship in September with “backers” getting the option to buy first, smart marketing there.  It has a built in accelerometer which by now we all know what that does.  Interesting and I can see this with mHealth Apps for sure.  BD





Apps bring Pebble to life. We're building some amazing apps for Pebble. Cyclists can use Pebble as a bike computer, accessing the GPS on your smartphone to display speed, distance and pace data. Runners get a similar set of data displayed on their wrist. Use the music control app to play, pause or skip tracks on your phone with the touch of a button. If you're a golfer, feel free to bring Pebble onto the course. We're working with Freecaddie to create a great golf rangefinder app for Pebble that works on over 25,000 courses world-wide. Instead of using your phone, view your current distance to the green right on your wrist. These apps will be the first, with more in the works!  

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597507018/pebble-e-paper-watch-for-iphone-and-android


Blue Cross Venture - Blue Health Intelligence Proving to Be Very Costly And Received Another 9 Billion From Undisclosed Source–Subsidiary Watch

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So far according to this article it has been hard to quantify the real dollar amounts that have been saved.  We all know there’s a lot more data out there of course with the creation of the venture.  Recently it was announced that the firm that manages the Blue Cross venture was moving to San Francisco to start up an incubator so is this a sign of perhaps where some of the funding may have come from?  With starting an incubator this is a sure sign that they are looking for more code for analytics. 



Sandbox VC Firm that Manages Blue Cross/Blue Shield VC Funds Is Moving to San Francisco–An Incubator for Some New Coders To Write Algorithms for Profit?

 


We also recently had this purchase from the Venture division.  BD 

WellPoint & Partners Buy Bloom Private Health Insurance Exchange From Their Own Venture Capital Company (Sandbox) –Subsidiary Watch


(Crain's) — A venture of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield Association that analyzes health care information on 110 million people has raised more than $9 million in equity, as insurers comb patient records for ways to cut costs and improve medical care.

Blue Health Intelligence uses claims data that has been stripped of identifying information to study health care trends, using records covering nearly one-third of the U.S. population.

Founded in 2006, the venture is backed by the Chicago-based association and 18 of the 38 insurers that use the Blue Cross name, which is licensed to them by the association.

Despite showing promise, Blue Health Intelligence has proven to be a costly endeavor, with $31 million in revenue and $43.6 million in expenses in 2010, the most recent year available, according to the tax return for the nonprofit association.

The $9.4 million in capital was disclosed last month by Blue Health Intelligence in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which does not identify the source of the money. The funding still leaves the venture short of its goal of raising $13.1 million, according to the filing.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120503/NEWS03/120509903/blue-cross-association-raises-9-4-million-for-data-venture/healthcare


MyMedicalRecords PHR 30 Day Account To Be Offered at Mickey Fine Pharmacy Chain in California

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Who says the old traditions don’t mix with the new, and here’s an example of what is said to be the last pharmacy with a soda fountain in the store.  If you under around 40 years old, you won’t know what one looked like as pharmacies today don’t have them any longer.  MMR Global as you all know gained nationwide recognition over stocks and shares and the Hollywood suicide that occurred.  Sometimes people say any publicity is good but in this case with getting the financials in order the company did get some press.  At any rate if you have never heard of Micky Fine it’s in Beverly Hills and is a landmark.  The Medical Quack has pretty large section all about PHRs and it goes back to the beginning of when both Google and Microsoft began their programs and as we all know now Google Health is no longer around and at one point MMRGlobal connected with Google Health as well.  BD 


MMR Global PHR Law Suits and Patents–Company That Drew Attention With the Russell Armstrong Suicide in Hollywood

 

A very good target market for personal health records is seniors and I know that for a fact as a few years ago when I was guest speaker at the Computer Friends Group in Newport Beach, a senior tech group (and yes they exist) that was one of the first questions they asked about was having access and copies of their medical records, and let’s face it a we get older, more of us might see the importance as well.  The second most important topic the seniors asked me about if you look at the link below will tell you they wanted to know about speech recognition and mind you this was back in 2008 and my friends at Nuance will appreciate that plug for sure as look where we are today. 

Microsoft Speech Recognition Presentation - Computer Friends at the Oasis - Newport Beach, CA


I have mine and my mother’s records all together and with all of her medications and documents in one spot it sure is convenient for me since we don’t live real close. Today is the first day of offering, May 10th. In addition to their interest in medical records the company also is diversified with some biotech holdings as well working in the area of clinical trials.   BD


Favrille Biotech and MyMedicalRecords.com, Inc. Announce Merger Agreement




QualityStocks would like to highlight MMRGlobal, Inc., a publicly traded company. Through its wholly-owned operatingimage subsidiary, MyMedicalRecords, Inc., the company provides secure and easy-to-use online Personal Health Records ("PHRs") and electronic safe deposit box storage solutions, serving consumers, healthcare professionals, employers, insurance companies, financial institutions, and professional organizations and affinity groups. The MyMedicalRecords PHR enables individuals and families to access their medical records and other important documents, such as birth certificates, passports, insurance policies and wills, anytime from anywhere using the Internet.

In the company’s news last week, MMRGlobal announced it will begin offering its MyMedicalRecords PHR at the Mickey Fine Pharmacy chain in Beverly Hills beginning May 10, 2012.

MMRGlobal pointed out Mickey Fine Pharmacy’s established presence in the Los Angeles area, attracting many movie stars, athletes, business leaders, and politicians. MMRGlobal’s program offer Mickey Fine customers a 30-day MyMedicalRecords.com PHR account, which covers up to 10 family members, including pets, and incorporates the company’s MyEsafeDepositBox so that users can securely store important documents, accessible from any Internet-connected device.

http://www.virtual-strategy.com/2012/05/08/qualitystocks-news-mmrglobal-launches-mymedicalrecords-program-mickey-fine-pharmacy


Former FDA Commissioner Andrew Von Eschenbach Joins Another Board–Banyan Biomarkers

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Banyan Biomarkers provides analytical services to pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies and investigators at academic research institutes.  The company has a focus on traumatic brain injury and developing assays to qualify biomarkers.  BD 


Former FDA leader von Eschenbach Named to Viamet Board of Directors
Former FDA Commissioner, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach Finds a Home on the Board of HistoSonics
Former FDA Chief Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach Appointed to the Board of Directors For BioTime and OncoCyte



ALACHUA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Banyan Biomarkers, Inc. imagetoday announced that Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and former Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), was elected to its Board of Directors.

“Banyan Biomarkers is developing a technology that would revolutionize how we diagnose and evaluate the traumatic brain injuries that are taking a devastating toll on soldiers, athletes, and accident victims. I am eager to contribute to Banyan Biomarkers’ efforts to rapidly bring such hope for a better outcome to so many in desperate need,” stated Dr. von Eschenbach.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120509005103/en/Banyan-Biomarkers-Announces-Andrew-Von-Eschenbach-Joins


26 Mayıs 2012 Cumartesi

Kitchener Bye Election and Confidence Vote Strategy

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With a bye election looming in Kitchener with former PC MPP Elizabeth Witmer taking up a government sinecure and the Liberals looking surprisingly strong in that riding, is there a possibility of a snap confidence vote for the opposition? If the Liberals win the bye election, they regain their majority, with all that entails including no election for quite some time (although with only one seat, a lot of things can happen).

Thus if it looks like the Liberals will win the bye election, do the NDP and PCs conspire to call a snap election, with the hopes that at the least, the Liberals will be stuck at minority status again? Certainly both parties could be punished electorally for calling an election, however the alternative is years of twiddling their thumbs as opposition in a majority setting. The NDP especially loses in this scenario, as any influence they had is instantly over.

Will it happen? Doubtful. I can't see the opposition leaders have the balls to make what could be the tactically right decision.

Ontario's Exports and Imports, Top Countries

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I was looking at the monthly fact sheet for May 2012 on the Ontario Ministry of Finance website and they had the top five destination countries for Ontario's exports. Top was the US at 76.9%, which is massive but unsurprising. Number two was the UK at 9.4%, which isn't a big surprise, although I'm wondering what exactly we are exporting to there. Obviously a lot of cars go to the US, but I doubt many go to the UK. Maybe gold going to London?

After that, there's a big drop off. Norway is surprisingly third at 1.4%. I have no idea what that is about. Something oil related I suppose, but what exactly? Machinery? Some products from our refineries? Cars? Maybe some gold too?

The final two are China at 1.4% and Hong Kong at 1.1%.

Ontario is still quite dependent on the US. Considering the province's location and the car industry that is somewhat inevitable.

The top five sources of imports is quite different. The US is first, but with only 55%. Next is China at 7.7%. Mexico is third with 7.7%, followed by Japan and Germany at 2.3%.

Ontario Electricity Rates and Natural Gas Prices

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I've read recently about electricity prices in the United States trending down due to ridiculously low prices for natural gas, low enough to even displace coal. Anyone living in Ontario knows that prices here have been rising steadily above inflation for years and seem destined to continue, even as US prices stay steady or decline. There's a lot of reasons for this. However I was interested to read a couple of paragraphs from the Star's provincial columnist Martin Cohn on electricity:


"Much is wrong with Ontario’s energy policies, and Hudak’s latest critique catalogues much of the madness: an over-reliance on gas-fired power plants to back up expensive wind power, for example.


But wind and solar make up only a tiny fraction of recent rate hikes; most of it is attributable to construction of gas-fired generators — all of them run by the private sector, thanks to muddled Liberal government policy."

Blaming natural gas generation for price increases seems somewhat strange. Sure having backup plants for solar and wind will be expensive automatically. However for regular generation, natural gas is cheap right now. The plants are cheap to build relative to nuclear and hydro and the price for gas is cheap for now and the foreseeable future. The Liberals cancelling two natural gas plants in Oakville and Mississauga due to local opposition certainly hurts, especially when the price the province has to eventually pay to settle lawsuits is taken into account, plus the loss of reasonably priced electricity that would have been available if the plants had been finished in a timely fashion. If the US utilities can build natural gas plants and keep prices steady, surely Ontario can?

Ontario's economic malaise during the McGuinty era has many different causes, both external forces and internal decisions the government has made. Certainly high electricity prices are mostly due to government policy and have had pernicious effects on the overall Ontario economy. During the McGuinty years, wages have been relatively stagnant with respect to inflation yet electricity and housing prices have rose enormously. Consumers have less money left to spend and save. Additionally businesses have suffered from high electricity prices, especially those in manufacturing which require large amounts of electricity. How many jobs have been lost due to high electricity prices? Hard to calculate, but depressing considering with better policies Ontario could have had lower electricity prices.

When Will Alberta's GDP Exceed Quebec's?

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I looked at the provincial GDPs on Wikipedia, and for 2010, Quebec's was $319,348 versus $263,537 for Alberta (millions). If Alberta outgrows Quebec by an average of 3% a year it will take seven years for Alberta's GDP to exceed Quebec's. If Alberta outgrows Quebec by an average of 3% a year it will take ten years. I should probably update these with the 2011 numbers, because I'm guessing Alberta had some healthy growth versus weak growth for Quebec.

What's Ontario's Q1 GDP Growth Going to Be?

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The fourth quarter had growth of 0.5%. What's the first quarter of 2012 going to be like? We won't get the report until around July 9th unfortunately. Employment numbers for Ontario haven't been great for January, February and March compared to the rest of Canada and gas prices have been relatively high, which saps Ontario's GDP growth.

I'm going to make a wild prediction of 0.5% again. That hasn't really been any signs of stronger growth. Such meager growth will impact government revenues making McGuinty's task of reducing the deficit that much harder. Ontario needs GDP growth, even 2.5% would help, but I just don't see it happening anytime soon.

23 Mayıs 2012 Çarşamba

New Bike from Germany and Was Columbus secretly a Jew?

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Be A Good-Digger


When you come into contact with another person, make a special effort to see their virtues.

Not only look for good points, but try to genuinely feel pleasure in discovering a new virtue in someone. A person who masters this trait lives in an entirely different world than someone who lacks it. Everyone he meets has positive elements that he notices, and hence he will show honor and respect to everyone.

Love Yehuda Lave

Was Columbus secretly a Jew?


http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/20/opinion/garcia-columbus-jewish/index.html

       
Video: The Secrets Under the Old City of JerusalemThe JewishPress.com staff went under the City of David  with Doron Speilman of the
    City of David Museum - to areas not open to the general public. We were astounded by what we saw and learned.Join us on this 45 minute exploration of the hidden secrets under the
    City of David, the Old City, and the http://www.jewishpress.com/videos/in-depth-exploration-of-the-city-of-david-in-jerusalem/
 



 

 

A great idea from Germany...something to see!!!

 

 

 

If this is the future, then Ford needs to start building these things soon.

http://www.wimp.com/ecomobiletests/                                        




 


 

 


 

 

 

 




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Visit my Blog: http://yehudalave.blogspot.com

or http://www.yehudalave.com/



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Visit my Blog: http://yehudalave.blogspot.com

or http://www.yehudalave.com/

SunTimes series focuses on neighborhood of NBA Star

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For the past week feature articles in the Chicago SunTimes have focused on the gangs and violence in the Englewood area of Chicago, near where Chicago Bulls Star Derrick Rose grew up. This was one article.

In the Tutor/Mentor Blog I used this same map, and pointed to a parallel story from Maywood, where a teen was killed while sleeping as a result of a run-away car that crashed into her home. The drive of that car had been shot.

In another set of articles I've been writing about sports and teamwork and showing how athletes could be "coaching" fans to support the growth of a wide range of youth serving organizations in different neighborhoods of Chicago and other cities.

The map at the right is one that was signed by nearly a dozen high profile athletes almost 15 years ago, showing their interest in an "adopt a neighborhood" concept that I have been trying to build support for. I'd like to find a sports writer who would want to champion this and other Tutor/Mentor Institute ideas. I can't carry this ball all by myself.

I also can't continue to host this map-resource without finding a sponsor/partner or benefactor to provide at least $50k a year to staff the project and support the continued upgrade of the technology and the data. Just one NBA or NFL star who wants to have a career beyond playing days is all this needs to become a beacon of hope for youth throughout every NBA city.

If you're interested why not come to the Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference in Chicago on Friday, Nov. 4. See details at http://www.tutormentorconference.org