MooPig Sloppy Dollars and Sense Department :: "WTF?"

Where do "They" Hide their Trillions?
asked by Pat Darnell | Apr 7, 2013 | Bryan TX

 

Guess what folks, the VIDEO has since been taken down... What does that tell you?

BREAKING: The 1% Caught Hiding Trillions In Tax Havens, 100,000 Names Leaked (VIDEO) | Addicting Info:
EXCERPT  |   "... They go on to report comments by an associated researcher:

“What we found as we started digging in the records is a pretty extensive collection of dodgy characters: Wall Street fraudsters, Ponzi schemers, figures connected to organized crime, to arms dealing, money launderers,” said Michael Hudson, a senior editor at the ICIJ, who worked with a team for months to sort through the information.
“We just found a lot of folks involved in questionable or outright illegal activities.” (2013/04/05. By Justin Acuff) ... "

   'via Blog this'

" ... If you aren't aware, the truth is that a mere 132 Americans donated 60% of SuperPac money during the last election period, and as noted by Larry Lessig during his TED presentation (and elsewhere), candidates must win the “funding” election before they can even participate in the general election that you and I can vote in. Because of this, all candidates from all parties spend 30-70% of their time trying to get more money to stay in office. If they displease those 132 people, by, for example, hurting their industries or pocketbook ..., they'll lose office and, later, lobbying opportunities that pay a thousand percent what they make in Congress. (LINK) ... "


__________________________Reference
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/04/05/breaking-the-1-caught-hiding-trillions-in-tax-havens-100000-names-leaked-video/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/04/03/merchant-offshore-trust.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/04/03/offshore-data-leak.html?autoplay=true
http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/icij-map/
http://politicsbyjustin.com/2013/04/05/reclaiming-america-get-the-money-out-of-congress-ted/

Vacationing like the Kennedy's :: "Medical Tourist Adventures?"

All is Vanity? Nope.
Retracted Opinions by Pat Darnell  |  Apr 7, 2013  |  Bryan TX

[Picture LINK] The source of inspiration for Adad Hannah’s installation is an image made in 1892 by an eighteen-year-old illustrator named Charles Allan Gilbert (1873-1929). Gilbert’s drawing, entitled All Is Vanity, remains one of the world’s most famous optical illusions.

This summer, millions will be headed out to foreign lands for vacation, adventure, tourism, or just a beautiful beach.

But how about hip surgery or a multiple bypass or a facelift? You might find yourself on the Buddha tour to save your life, or improve your looks. For example, Thailand is an exotic vacation spot known for its Buddhas, its beaches, its brothels, and the bustle of Bangkok. It is also a medical vacationer's hotspot.

One thing remains totally common to all humans -- their bodies. A doctor, surgeon, nurse, or dentist can live anywhere in the world, and practice his trade. Humans will be humans. Is it vanity that delivers us to foreign countries for medical touch ups? Not really. It is mainly about money.

Quietly, American retirees have moved to Mexico for "a health care plan with no limits, no deductibles, free medicines, tests, X-rays, eyeglasses, even dental work — all for a flat fee of $250 or less a year." Retiree emigrants call it the "healthcare alternative." There are "between 40,000 and 80,000 U.S. retirees living in Mexico."

" ... Bob Story, 75, of St. Louis, had prostate-reduction surgery at an IMSS hospital in Mazatlán and discovered that patients were expected to bring their own pillows. It was a small price to pay, he said, for a surgery that would have cost thousands of dollars back home.
"I would say it's better than any health plan I've had in the States," he said. (Chris Hawley, USA TODAY. Updated 9/1/2009) ... "

Most of the following referenced articles are from a year or more ago.

Vacation, Adventure And Surgery? - CBS News: "A growing number of tourists are doing just that, combining holidays with health care, and that's because a growing number of countries are offering first-rate medical care at Third-World prices. Many of these medical tourists can't afford health care at home (the 40 million uninsured Americans, for example). Others are going for procedures not covered by their insurance: cosmetic surgery or infertility treatment, for example."

'via Blog this'

" ... The Bumrungrad hospital, in Bangkok, treats four hundred thousand foreign patients annually. Malaysia had almost six hundred thousand medical tourists last year. And South Korea had more than a hundred thousand, nearly a third of them American.
For Americans, the attraction is obvious: medical care is a lot cheaper abroad. At CIMA Hospital, in Costa Rica, for instance, hip-replacement surgery costs around fifteen thousand dollars, roughly a sixth of the average here. (April 16, 2012. James Surowiecki. LINK) ... "

" ... A few years ago, the grocery-store chain Hannaford set up a partnership for the benefit of its employees with a well-accredited Singaporean hospital. Singapore is one of the most prosperous countries in the world, but medical care there is still significantly cheaper than in the U.S., so the arrangement looked like a model for how medical tourism might work. But none of Hannaford’s workers were interested in going to Singapore. (ibid. Surowiecki.) ... "

Uncertainty has kept companies and institutions from signing up for cheaper overseas healthcare. Terrorists attacks in India. Hamas rockets in Israel. Kidnappings in Mexico. Concerns about security in foreign countries might have dissuaded medical tourism and surgery vacations, but the idea is in its infancy. US Healthcare providers, soon to be reformed by Obama-care, have high deductibles on medical procedures and surgeries. Healthcare companies for profit will have to revamp their fee basis, but:

" ... That’s because often the incentive for individuals is cost. In the U.S., a hip-replacement surgery can cost $30,000 to $40,000 for uninsured patients, according to BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, compared with about $9,000 in India and $12,000 in Singapore.

But unless employees are uninsured or underinsured—that is, they have high out-of-pocket costs associated with surgeries—there is no financial incentive steering them overseas for care.

In 2007, some 750,000 Americans traveled abroad for care, according to estimates by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, which is part of the Deloitte audit and advisory firm. Most were uninsured or under-insured individuals. A few were employees whose firms gave them an incentive to go. (Jeremy Smerd. Published: January 13, 2009 Updated: September 15, 2011. LINK) ... "

This medical vacation concept is unusual because the patient -- in need of less costly healthcare -- is traveling across national borders from a more highly economically developed country to less developed countries. Providing the patient can survive the rigors of the trips, the new model of the medical tourist is "one jetting around the world for often serious, and complex, medical and surgical care."

The United States spends two-and-a-half times more than OECD countries,  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, average health expenditure per person ... USA even spends twice as much as France, for example, a country which is generally accepted as having very good health services. "At 17.4% of GDP in 2009, US health spending is half as much again as any other country, and nearly twice the average. (ibid. LINK) ... "

The traveling out of US for healthcare is a symptom rather than a solution. It is a way of getting around the problem rather than fixing it.

Table. Percentages of How Patients get information about Overseas facilities

Method ... Alternate Medicine -- Modern Medicine

Word of mouth from old patients ... 19 (100%) -- 15 (88.24%)

Own Website ... 14(73.68%) -- 10 (58.82%)

Website of Tourism Department ... 5 (26.32%) -- 3 (17.65%)

Advertising ... 1 (5.26%) -- 1 (5.88%)

Direct Marketing ... 1 (5.26%) -- 1 (5.88%)

Fairs ... 1 (5.26%) -- 0

(This Table shows the passive attitude of both Alternate Medicine as well as Modern Medicine by stressing on ‘Word of mouth from old patients’. Website development is the only serious effort the majority of players take as an individual initiative.)

All Is Vanity :: Original source image by Charles Allen Gilbert, 1892

" ... ENTER the main cardiac operating-room at Bangalore's Wockhardt hospital ... many innovations in health care that have been devised in India. Its entrepreneurs are channelling the country's rich technological and medical talent towards frugal approaches that have much to teach the rich world's bloated health-care systems. Dr Jawali is feted today as a pioneer, but he remembers how Western colleagues ridiculed him for years for advocating his inventive “awake surgery”. He thinks that snub reflects an innate cultural advantage enjoyed by India. (Health care in India. the economist. Apr 16th 2009. LINK) ... "

SUMMARY
Rich countries spend more than poor countries.... for nearly every country, if you know how rich they are, you can predict their health spending per person per year to within a few hundred dollars. The United States is an exception – "Americans spend nearly $3000 per person per year more than Swiss people, even though Swiss people have about the same level of income. (Source: OECD Health Data 2011.)"

That is why for pure vanity, or for saving on costly medical procedures and surgeries, many patients take the option to travel to less rich countries.

__________________________Reference
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-689998.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/21/60minutes/main689998_page4.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_tourism
http://www.indushealth.com/news_articles.aspx
http://www.epicski.com/t/112386/my-excellent-toe-surgery-adventure-hallux-rigidus-plate-screw-fusion-and-osteotomy/210
http://www.tampabay.com/features/travel/buenos-aires-vacation-is-an-urban-adventure/1238856
http://www.continentalmedicaltourism.com/news/
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57496219/72-rescued-from-ship-taking-on-water-in-alaska/
http://www.bbb.org/myrtle-beach/business-reviews/marketing-programs-and-services/vacation-adventures-international-in-little-river-sc-8000407/complaints
http://www.oecd.org/health/health-systems/49084355.pdf
http://www.economist.com/node/13496367?story_id=13496367
http://www.facs.org/fellows_info/bulletin/2009/unti0409.pdf
http://www.smartmoney.com/spend/column/consumer_action/?story=20070312

MooPig Movie Reviews :: "Lincoln"

"Slavery, sir, is done..."
Perpetrated by Pat Darnell  |  Apr 5, 2013  |  Bryan TX

[PHOTO gif submitted by Pat2] ... The movie got mixed reviews, but mostly praised for its cinematic elegance. ... This photo is a "gif" of a device that keeps your camera motionless while you run with it. Annoying, eh?

In Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln,’ Passive Black Characters - NYTimes.com: "That, too, is the history of abolition; “Lincoln” is an opportunity squandered."

'via Blog this'

How much do you know about Daniel Day-Lewis? Eh? I don't know squat about Daniel. I do know something about ears though. As a man gets older his ears get larger, because they never cease to grow throughout his life.

Next chance you get, look at how huge Tommy Lee Jones's ears are. They're GIANT! I know, I know, he can't help that!

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was debated at several occasions to have Marfan's syndrome and also acromegaly. He grew to 6 ft. 4 inches in height and generally weighed less than 180 lb. Lincoln's body growth and energic constitution show gross evidence of pituitary hyperactivity and gonadal hypoactivity. He was a long, thin baby at birth, with unusually long, thin arms and legs.You will have to Google all these difficult words.

That is about as historically factual as we can get in this movie review. You, dear reader, will not gain any exacting Lincoln scuttlebutt today. We don't have any historians on deck here at MooPig Enterprises. We farm that out.

So we go to the Bonus Features on the DVD we rented at Red Box for 99 cents, plus tax. In the usual mention of Steven Spielberg, the making of Lincoln is prefaced with anecdote given by Mr. Spielberg. He remembers as a young lad going to the Lincoln Memorial; and walking up to the seated man at the top of the stairs.

Spielberg's imagery of the greatness of the memorial in his memorable youthful experience gives us a clue to what the movie is about: the giant white man who ended the Civil War, and signed into law the Thirteenth Amendment.

In Theaters: Nov 16, 2012
On DVD: Mar 26, 2013
Box Office:$182.0M
Dreamworks Pictures
PG-13, 2 hr. 29 min.
Drama
Directed By: Steven Spielberg

MooPig Movie Reviews Department is proud that they are not insiders in the cinema industry. We are so far afield... well, a good analogy is this quote from the movie, Daniel Day-Lewis says:

" ... Abraham Lincoln: A compass, I learnt when I was surveying, it'll... it'll point you True North from where you're standing, but it's got no advice about the swamps and dessert and chasm that you'll encounter along the way. If in pursuit of your destination, you plunge ahead, heedless of obstacles, and achieve nothing more than to sink in a swamp... What's the use of knowing True North? ... "

In answer to what Thaddeus Stevens, played by Tommy Lee Jones, asks:

Thaddeus Stevens: You claim you can trust them. But you know what the people are. You know the inner compass that should direct the soul toward justice has ossified in white men and women, north and south, unto utter uselessness though tolerating the evil of slavery. White people cannot bear the thought of sharing this country's infinite abundance with Negroes.

This theme is the crux of the biscuit in real life ... the abject failure to "share" the abundance. But, that theme is never much dealt with in this movie. Blacks are more stoically portrayed as props, one liners, and altogether waiting in the wings for "white man" to "gift" them abolition of slavery in this movie. Too bad, too. With that wellspring of knowledge Spielberg's Lincoln could have remarkably transcended its boundaries.

Suggestion for when you watch the flick, you might want to turn on the subtitles so you can appreciate the American-English jargon spoken. It also helps the flow for you the patron, when actors and actresses muff and mumble their lines.



_________________________Reference
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/opinion/in-spielbergs-lincoln-passive-black-characters.html?pagewanted=2
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lincoln_2011/
http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Marfan%27s-Syndrome.htm

http://www.lincolnportrait.com/emotional_neurosis_hypokinetic.asp

MooPig Plague Watch :: "Locusts"

Captured by Pat Darnell  |  Apr 5, 2013  |  Bryan TX

[Picture LINK]

JG Vibes ~ Swarms Of Locusts Descend On Israel And Egypt | Shift Frequency: "Along the border of Egypt and Israel millions of locusts have mysteriously appeared in giant swarms across the area. This problem was first reported weeks ago but has continued in intensity, destroying crops and creating a widespread disturbance in travel and trade.

The Jerusalem Post reported that:
" ... Additional bands of locusts entered Israel throughout the day on Tuesday, marking a week since the first wave of bugs flew across the Sinai border and landed here. Two swarms swooped in on Tuesday afternoon in the Revivim and Kama areas, following another fresh pack that entered through Kadesh Barnea a few hours before, the Agriculture Ministry reported." (March 15, 2013 by Gillian. LINK) ... "

'via Blog this'

" ... No preventative pesticide can be used in advance of a locust’s arrival, and effective spraying can only occur once the insects are settled on the ground for the night or in the early morning before they fly off, the ministry explained.
While individual locusts have made appearances all over the country, the aerial and ground spraying has largely worked thus far in eradicating the swarms, the office stressed. Individual locusts are not harmful to humans, and they only pose a threat to agricultural plots in large swarms.
The chemicals being used to combat the locusts are of a “soft pesticide” type and have no effects on other animals, preying upon the locusts only and leaving no residue – as the pesticide breaks down quickly, according to the ministry. Due to this spraying, there has not yet been any significant harm to crops, but if agricultural damage was to occur, the farmers are protected by risk insurance. (SHARON UDASIN. 03/13/2013.   LINK) ... "

__________________________Reference
http://shiftfrequency.com/jg-vibes-swarms-of-locusts-descend-on-israel-and-egypt/
http://www.jpost.com/Sci-Tech/Article.aspx?id=306248
http://intellihub.com/2013/03/13/swarms-of-locusts-descend-on-israel-and-egypt/
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/world/middleeast/swarms-of-locusts-cross-into-israel-from-egypt.html?_r=0

MooPig Eye on Housing Department :: "Derelict Houses England"

[Picture LINK]

Pound land: derelict houses in Liverpool to be sold for just one pound - Telegraph:

"There are many places in the North of England that have similar problems with empty housing, such as Liverpool, Hull, Burnley, Manchester, Newcastle etc. It shows how 'south east centric' commentators are who bleat on about a housing shortage in the UK.

Under the last government the 'Path finder' scheme was implemented to compulsorily purchase houses then knock them down and build new ones. The effect of this was to destroy the value of housing in an area and make it worse, intelligent people were put of living in an area where the councils intention was to purchase and knockdown housing."

'via Blog this'
Many of theses houses were very well built in the first place and would be made habitable for under 20k. The cost to purchase, demolish properly and then rebuild probably costs over 120k. Not surprisingly the council plans run out of cash leaving stocks of derelict homes.

The reason they are derelict is there is little demand to live in these areas, ie no jobs. If jobs could be created then people would snap these up and refurbish them, they would be far more appealing than a poorly built new build block of flats.

I am not sure if there is a simple way of creating employment in these areas but knocking down and rebuilding makes very little economic sense. (landlord1. Feb 27, 2013. no link) ... "

[Picture LINK]

_________________________Reference
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertypicturegalleries/9883749/Pound-land-derelict-houses-in-Liverpool-to-be-sold-for-just-one-pound.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2184334/Empty-houses-sale-1-Britains-cheapest-street.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/9879456/Pound-land-Derelict-houses-in-Liverpool-to-be-sold-for-just-1.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/shortcuts/2013/feb/20/kensington-houses-one-pound-liverpool
http://homes.trovit.co.uk/derelict