Senior citizen group seeks recovery of Medicare expenses from U.S. cigarette makers

Saturday, August 6, 2005

A U.S. lobbyist group, the United Seniors Association, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Boston to recover Medicare expenses related to tobacco smoking. The suit says there is a link between nicotine addiction and smoking-related diseases.

The first of its kind lawsuit seeks to recover as much as $60 billion in estimated Medicare expenses outlaid for treatment of lung cancer and emphysema patients.

The Medicare Secondary Payer Statute (MSP) allows someone to sue on behalf of Medicare. The medical expenses that another party was legally obligated to cover, in this case the tobacco companies if they are found liable in court, would be split between parties to the suit and Medicare. The MSP statute was entered in part because the government does not have the resources to prosecute every case under Medicare law.

Charles Jarvis, the CEO of the group said, “Our motivation is one of taxpayer protection.” He added, “Considering how badly the taxpayers have been injured financially, we believe the responsible parties — the tobacco companies — should be reimbursing the taxpayer to the greatest amount possible under the law.”

Currently, U.S. employees are taxed by Medicare at 1.45% of their earnings. This payroll tax amount is matched by their employer when paid to the IRS.

The lawsuit names Philip Morris USA, Lorillard Tobacco, the Liggett Group, and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and two of its subsidiaries as defendants. The United Seniors Association is asking for twice the amount paid by Medicare to treat smoking related illnesses since 1999.

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31 October

Five Effective Business Analysis Techniques

By Adriana Noton

The term business analysis refers to the discipline of identifying needs within a business, and determining the appropriate solution.

These solutions may include changes in the organization itself, strategic development or development of new policies. The person who takes on the responsibility of business analysis is called a business analyst.

When the time inevitably comes for some sort of change, the business analyst has several techniques at his disposal. Precisely which techniques are used will depend on the nature of the problem, and the scope of the solution. Here are five that are used successfully by business analysts to help solve an array of different problems.

MOST

The MOST technique is an internal analysis. It contains four attributes that are defined by the business analyst to ensure the project you are working on is aligned and on track. These attributes are as follows:

-Mission (Where the business intends to go?)

-Objectives (the key goals that will help achieve mission)

-Strategies (the different options for moving forward)

-Tactics (How the different strategies are put into action?)

PESTLE

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZNrwXXihoM[/youtube]

The PESTLE technique is an external analysis designed to examine the many different external elements affecting a business and its operations. It includes six attributes:

-Political (Current and future political influences)

-Economic (The local, national and world economy impact)

-Sociological (Different ways society can affect an organization)

-Technological (The effect of new and emerging technology)

-Legal (The effect of national and world legislation)

-Environmental (Local, national and world environmental issues)

CATWOE

CATWOE is a technique used to encourage critical thinking about what the business is trying to achieve. There are six different elements included in this technique:

-Customers (Who benefits from the highest level business process and how does the issue affect them?)

-Actors (Who is involved in the situation? Who is implementing solutions? What will impact their success?)

-Transformation Process (What processes or systems are affected by the issue?)

-World View (What is the big picture and what are the wider impacts of the issue?)

-Owner (Who owns the process or situation being investigated and what is their role in the solution?)

-Environmental Constraints (What are the limitations that will impact the solution and its success?)

SWOT

A SWOT analysis is used to give a more complete overview of both internal and external factors affecting a business. There are four attributes to SWOT:

-Strengths (Examine advantages and what is done well within the company.)

-Weaknesses (Examine the disadvantages and areas that need improvement.)

-Opportunities (Examine opportunities for improvement in all areas, including market share.)

-Threats (Examine the obstacles the business faces in accomplishing their goals.)

FIVE WHY’S

The Five Why’s technique is used to help get to the root of any given problem within the business. It is a question asking method to examine the cause and effect of a particular situation.

You will start with a problem, such as “my car won’t start,” then ask a succession of why questions until the root of the problem is uncovered and a solution is evident.

Business Analysis can be a complex and intricate process. Within this broad spectrum lie several sub-disciplines, roles and even more techniques.

All businesses encounter situations and problems that need attention to help keep them moving forward. With a skilled business analyst employing the right techniques, a solution won’t be far behind.

About the Author: Market leader in providing a new generation of predictive, business analytics software and services that create true business intelligence. Offering masterful tools in data collection, information analysis, and collaborating business statistics.

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31 October

Nepal Parliament passes resolution to curb King’s power

Thursday, May 18, 2006Prime Minister of Nepal, Giriraj Koirala proposed in Parliament a resolution which is aimed at drastically curtailing the monarch’s powers. According to the resolution, the King will be stripped of his status as the Supreme Commander of the Royal Nepal Army (which is to be renamed as the Nepal Army Cabinet). Portions of the Nepalese national anthem that praise the King have been cut.

The proposal also aims at cutting down on the King’s allowance and his right to be exempted from paying taxes. The government which is currently referred to as the “King’s administration” will henceforth be known as the “Nepalese Government”. The resolution also changes Nepal’s status from that of a Hindu nation to a secular one. The King’s Advisory Council will no longer exist and his security will be taken care of by Parliament. The King will also now no longer have the privilege of being above the law of the land since the resolution provides for him to be tried in court if the situation so warrants.

Analysts have expressed concerns saying that under the current Constitution, this proposal cannot become law till the King signs it. Politicians say however that this proposal is above the Constitution and reflects the will of the people. King Gyanendra restored democracy to the Himalayan Kingdom after weeks of massive anti-monarchy protests earlier this year.

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29 October

New Zealand Reserve Bank phone hacker not convicted

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Gerasimos Macridis, 39-years-old, left the court room discharged without conviction after hacking into the New Zealand Reserve Bank’s phone system and then asking for money for his services after pointing out these security flaws to both the Reserve Bank and Telecom New Zealand in May, 2006, and offering to fix them. He had identified himself as a security consultant.

The New Zealand Police then raided his home and took his computer on 21 September. Macridis told police that he did not think it was illegal, but knew he was not authorised to access the phone systems. Telecom then took him to court.

Colin McGilicray, police prosecutor, said: “Macridis has a significant number of previous fraud convictions and it appeared he was trying to obtain money through virtue of his technical knowledge.”

Macridis, who represented himself, told the court that for 11-years he had worked as a casual security consultant and he had worked for Telecom, police and Department of Internal Affairs.

Macridis thought himself as an honest, law abiding citizen as his 1994 conviction had ‘turned his life around’.

Judge Ian Mill said this case was very unusual and also noted that Macridis ended his offending over 10-years ago.

Mill said: “Macridis used his talents to identify security risks and he had identified a grave risk to the Reserve Bank and its customers. Macridis provided a report of his findings, requested payment albeit without a contract and for his troubles was prosecuted. He did not pass the information on to others and did not use it for personal gain.”

“In my view his intentions were honourable,” Mill added.

Mill discharged him without conviction on the basis that a conviction would be out of proportion with his actions.

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28 October

Things To Know About Dentists And Dentistry

Submitted by: Calvin Washin

Everyone would have gone to dentists at least once in their lifetime. Sometimes, to fill up a cavity in your mouth, replace teeth, or if you are one so naughty that broke your teeth in a fall, then, to fit artificial teeth and the reasons can be many. Thus, a dentist is one major person in our lives. But, of course, going to the dentists are nightmares for everyone, because he says, It won t hurt, relax, and then, you find him clutching his drills to explore your mouth. Good God! It is terribly frightening, that your eyes get tightly shut, and the siren of fear echoes the room. Again, the dentist shall assure It won t hurt. May be, this is why, we define dentists as prestidigitators who put metal into your mouth and pulls coins out of your pocket. And, we keep thinking, some tortures are physical, some mental, but the one that is both, is Dental.

Actually, dentists play the role of small soldiers in our life, who safeguards us from those terrible toothaches that attacks our region of the oral cavity. The dentists fight the intruders (germs), who invade our oral regions. In that way, they are really the soldiers of our oral cavity. There are many things to know about dentists and dentistry, which, once known, wouldn t let your conscience blame or tolerate someone blaming dentists. So, coming to a serious discussion, a dentist or dental surgeon is a doctor specialized in treatment of oral diseases and its diagnosis and prevention. The oral health services provided by the dental clinics help fight our oral cavity troubles, with the help of dental assistants, hygienists, dental technicians and therapists.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go3TZBoiOf4[/youtube]

Dentists are graduates of dental colleges, who have acquired at least a bachelor s degree and efficient training. They should graduate from accredited schools of dental education, and also pass all the written and practical examinations of dentistry. Dentists not only diagnose and treat tooth issues, but also instruct patients on things like their diet, brushing, use of fluorides for their tooth, flossing and similar aspects related to dental care. The treatment options included in dental clinics are removal of tooth decay, filling of cavities, examining x-rays, pacing protective plastic sealants on children s teeth, straightening the teeth, and repairing fractured teeth. Also, treatments for gum diseases like performing gum and supporting bone s correction surgeries are offered in the dental clinics. Aesthetic oral treatments are also provided by which, ugly teeth and gums can be replaced with duplicate good teeth.

A wide range of dental equipment used by dentists are available today like, x-ray machines, drills, mouth mirror, probes, forceps, brushes, and scalpels. The latest technologies used may include digital scanners, latest laser technologies, and other computer technologies, sophisticating the dentistry to match it with the current technologies. Inside the dental lab, the staffs and doctors wear gloves, safety glasses, masks, etc., that prevent infectious diseases from spreading.

There are several specialty areas in dentistry, in which, each doctor can specialize. For instance, the Orthodontists are the biggest group of dentists, who provides teeth straightening adjustments for the patient s teeth by applying pressure with braces and other appliances to the teeth. There are several other areas like, Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons (who handles operations in mouths, teeth, gums, jaws, neck and head), Periodontics (perform gum and supporting bone corrections), Prosthodontists (replace missing teeth), Endodontists( performs root canal therapy), etc. Dentists play crucial roles in everyone s life, and it is up to you, to decide which category specialized dentist should be your doctor for all your oral troubles.

About the Author:

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26 October

Eleven year-old driver kills family in collision

Friday, January 15, 2010

A Honda, with eleven-year-old Jose Covarrubias behind the wheel, ran a stop sign in Porterville, California colliding with a Ford around 7:30 P.M.

The eastbound 1993 Honda was sideswiped from the driver’s side by a southbound 1999 Ford, killing Jose. His sister, 6-year-old Elizabeth Covarrubias, and mother, Maria Covarrubias, were killed when they ejected, as they were not wearing seatbelts. Family friend Froylon Gonzalez was sent to the hospital with serious injuries, and the driver of the Ford, Charles Seguin, sustained minor injuries.

Felipe Gonzalez, Froylon’s brother, said the family was returning from Jose’s soccer team practice. He also added that he had never seen Jose drive before. Gonzales was the lone survivor of the Honda and has not yet been interviewed.

The accident occurred at a rural intersection and it did not appear to law enforcement that drugs, alcohol, or weather were a factor in the collision.

The bodies will be buried in Mexico near where the father lives.

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26 October

Wikinews interviews specialists on South Korea military parade

Sunday, October 6, 2013

On Tuesday, South Korea staged a huge military parade to mark its armed forces’ 65th anniversary in a display of long-range missiles considered a direct threat to North Korea. 11,000 troops and 190 different weapons systems were on display in the parade. Wikinews interviewed several specialists about the parade’s possible significance.

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25 October

Amended USA Freedom Act draws questions from civil liberties groups

Sunday, May 11, 2014

The USA Freedom Act, introduced in to the US House of Representatives as HR 3361 and to the US Senate as S. 1599, on Thursday passed out of House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and on to the House floor. Foreign Policy reported the bill was “the most aggressive NSA reform bill under consideration in Congress”, however, after amendment, the bill has been questioned for extending the Patriot Act and the reduction of reform to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

The USA Freedom Act had the stated goal of ending the bulk collection of Americans’ metadata, ending the secret laws created by the FISA court, and introducing a “Special Advocate” to represent public and privacy matters before the FISA court.

In May 2014, the US House Judiciary Committee posted a “Manager’s Amendment” on its website. Title VII of the Amendment read “Section 102(b)(1) of the USA Patriot Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 (50 U.S.C. 1805 note) is amended by striking ‘June 1, 2015’ and inserting ‘December 31, 2017′”, extending the USA PATRIOT Act through the end of 2017. A number of organizations have taken stances against the Patriot Act, for example, the American Library Association became so concerned it urged its members to defend free speech and protect patrons’ privacy against the Act.

According to Deputy Attorney General James Cole, even if the Freedom Act becomes law, the NSA could continue its bulk collection of American’s phone records. He explained that “it’s going to depend on how the [FISA] court interprets any number of the provisions” contained within the legislation. Jennifer Granick, Director of Civil Liberties at Stanford Law School, stated:

The Administration and the intelligence community believe they can do whatever they want, regardless of the laws Congress passes, so long they can convince one of the judges appointed to the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) to agree. This isn’t the rule of law. This is a coup d’etat.

Cynthia Wong of Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed concern that “the bill does not address needed reforms to surveillance programs that affect millions of people outside US borders.” This being a key problem that plagues US surveillance activities according to HRW.

Mike Rogers, a defender of the NSA’s surveillance practices and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, called the proposed amendments a “huge improvement”. On the other hand, USA Freedom Act co-author and Senate Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy commented that he “remain concerned that the legislation approved today does not include some of the important reforms related to national security letters, a strong special advocate at the FISA Court, and greater transparency. I will continue to push for those reforms when the Senate Judiciary Committee considers the USA FREEDOM Act this summer.”

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23 October

Alternative Treatment For Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Ibd)

IBD or Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a term that is used to understand Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Both the disorders are associated with chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal or digestive tract. Because Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis represent IBD, it is wise to understand them in brief.

According to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), around 780,000 Americans are suffering from Crohn’s disease. The key symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, blood in your stool, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, and feeling a frequent need for bowel movements. Ulcerative Colitis is a condition where the lining of the large intestine develops ulcers. Cramping belly pain, sudden urge to poop, weight loss, feeling tired, fever, dehydration, joint pain or soreness, and canker sores are some of its symptoms. The difference between Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis is that while the former can affect any place on the digestive tract, the latter only affects the large intestines.

What causes IBD is still unknown. But based on the current research reports, it is a result of a poor immune system. In some cases, IBD may also be genetic. While diet and stress may aggravate the situation with inflammatory bowel disease, they are definitely not the reason for it in the first place. A person may develop IBD because of their age, race or ethnicity, family history, cigarette smoking, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of IBD

There can be several symptoms associated with IBD but the most common include a combination of symptoms in Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis depending on which disorder you have. If you have already visited your doctor and know whether you have Crohn’s disease or its counterpart, you can go forward with the right treatment. If you are unsure, then doing the right diagnosis is crucial. You would need to have endoscopy and colonoscopy for Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis respectively. Other than that you may also need magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), contrast radiography, or computed tomography (CT) scan for imaging studies.

Medical Cannabis as an Alternative Treatment

Cannabis is thought to have some gastrointestinal effects such as a reduction in visceral pain, relaxation of the esophageal sphincter, and a decrease in gastric motility and secretions. In a 2014 study of the 319 Canadian patients with IBD, 91% self-reported that they had improvements in symptoms with cannabis use. One astonishing detail that was noted was that 17.6% of the patients reported lifetime use of cannabis for IBD. While 83.9% and 76.% announced an improvement in abdominal pain and cramp respectively, 48.2% saw an improvement in joint pain. Even symptoms of diarrhea improved in 28.6% of the patients.

In a second study published in 2013 by Jessica Ravikoff Allegretti, MD et al., it was observed that a significant number of patients with IBD who consumed marijuana also found it out to be effective in controlling symptoms. The researchers surveyed a total of 292 patients. Out of the 12.3% were active cannabis users; 39% consumed at some point in the past; 48.6% of the patients never had cannabis at any phase in their lives. 16.4% of the patients among those who were active users or had it in the past mentioned that they used it to control the symptoms and the majority found it out to be effective.

Conclusion

The cannabis Sativa plant has over 400 compounds and over 100 cannabinoids. Two of the most popular include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Both these compounds are associated with medical benefits for chronic pain, PTSD, and Multiple Sclerosis to name a few. When it comes to IBD, more research is required to understand where cannabis stands. For more information on how cannabis can have an impact on IBD, you may refer here: Why Marijuana can be Helpful in the Treatment of IBD.

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22 October

Sony faces class action lawsuits for DRM

Friday, November 11, 2005

California, Italy and New York are the first to bring litigation against Sony BMG‘s digital rights management (DRM) software found in at least 20 music discs released by Sony. The software automatically installs after the user agrees to a end user license agreement (EULA) before the music disc can be played, and includes a rootkit that can create vulnerabilities in the user’s Windows computer. One trojan horse exploiting the hole has already been discovered online.

The California lawsuit, filed on November 1, claims that the software violates the Consumer Legal Remedies Act, the Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act, and the California Unfair Competition Law. The upcoming lawsuit in New York would seek restitution for consumers nationwide.

Mathew Gilliat-Smith, the CEO of First 4 Internet, the company that created the software, claims it is “benign content.” Meanwhile, in an NPR interview, a Sony BMG Music Entertainment Vice President said, “Most people, I think, don’t even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?”

Sony and First 4 Internet have released “patches” and uninstall kits, after programmer Mark Russinovich discovered the hidden files from the rootkit. However, these uninstall kits are only installable online through an ActiveX application, a technology many security experts advise users to deactivate due to its high execution privileges on host computers.

In addition to questions of legality, the DRM software has come under fire from media rights activists and even artists who unwittingly found their albums more stringently protected than they approved of. Furthermore, Sony’s DRM software “phones home” each time one of their CDs is played. The license agreement does not reveal this behavior, nor does it acknowledge the existence of the rootkit itself.

Thomas Hesse of Sony BMG recently told the San Francisco Chronicle that 60 percent of Sony BMG CDs released in the United States currently have copy protection measures, and that they aim to hit 100 percent by early 2006.

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18 October
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