Out of Control Doctor--So much humor here--take your choice of double entendres

This is THE MOST out of control doctor I have ever heard of...Poor patient, but there is too much going on here to not notice...

Surgeon cut off testicle 'by mistake' at Bury hospital

A patient lost a testicle during an operation because the surgeon cut it off by mistake, a General Medical Council (GMC) hearing has been told.  Dr Sulieman Al Hourani was only supposed to cut out a cyst, but removed the whole right testicle instead. Dr Al Hourani was a locum surgeon at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, Greater Manchester, at the time of the surgery in September 2007. He is accused of misconduct and also of stealing medication. It is alleged the doctor, who is now practising in Jordan and was not present at the hearing, also injected himself with a drug meant for a patient.  Sarah Prichard, counsel for the GMC, said the mistake was made as a nurse helping the surgeon turned her back to get a stitch.  When she turned around the testicle had been removed. Doctor dismissed Ms Prichard said: "Literally as the nurse turned away to get a transfixion stitch, the incident occurred and the testicle was removed. "Such was the level of concern they immediately realised it could be a serious medical incident and took steps to complete the relevant documentation." A month later it is alleged that the doctor, who qualified after studying at Jordan University of Science and Technology, stole two boxes of dihydrocodeine from a treatment room on a ward at the same hospital.  An investigation was launched and the doctor was dismissed by his employer, Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which ran the hospital. The GMC was told of another incident in August 2006, when Dr Al Hourani had consulted a colleague and was advised to inject a patient with 10 milligrams (mg) of midazolam, a powerful sedative drug. He then gave the patient 8mg and injected himself with the other 2mg, the hearing was told.  The case against Dr Al Hourani is being heard in his absence as he was notified of the hearing but chose not to "engage" with the GMC or appoint lawyers to represent him.  The case, scheduled to last three weeks, was adjourned until Tuesday.

I like my coffee beans UNDIGESTED, please...

To rich for my taste...give me good ol's non-animal digested coffee beans. Maybe I am old fashioned or not sophisicated enough to get it...

NYTIMES: From Dung to Coffee Brew With No Aftertaste

...Reaching a valley where coffee trees were growing abundantly, he scanned the undergrowth where he knew the animals would relax after picking the most delicious coffee cherries with their claws and feasting on them with their fangs. His eyes settled on a light, brownish clump atop a rock. He held it in his right palm and, gently slipping it into a little black pouch, whispered:
“Gold!”
Not quite. But Mr. Sibayan’s prize was the equivalent in the world of rarefied coffees: dung containing the world’s most expensive coffee beans.
Costing hundreds of dollars a pound, these beans are found in the droppings of the civet, a nocturnal, furry, long-tailed catlike animal that prowls Southeast Asia’s coffee-growing lands for the tastiest, ripest coffee cherries. The civet eventually excretes the hard, indigestible innards of the fruit — essentially, incipient coffee beans — though only after they have been fermented in the animal’s stomach acids and enzymes to produce a brew described as smooth, chocolaty and devoid of any bitter aftertaste.
As connoisseurs in the United States, Europe and East Asia have discovered civet coffee in recent years, growing demand is fueling a gold rush in the Philippines and Indonesia, the countries with the largest civet populations. Harvesters are scouring forest floors in the Philippines, where civet coffee has emerged as a new business. In Indonesia, where the coffee has a long history, enterprising individuals are capturing civets and setting up minifarms, often in their backyards.

How much water does it take to make a variety of goods?? Nice resource for a project..

If you have a project about water as a resource, this is a REALLY terrific interactive graph showing how much water is used directly and indirectly to produce a variety of basic goods...Click HERE and scroll down about half the page...

"Can you hear me now?"---not everyone cares about phone coverage..

Joel Pett

Can anyone else see the Irony?

Does anyone else see the irony in these two articles, one above the other, in the WSJ today?  Nuanced, but says volumes...

Ecuador Demands More Oil Revenue

Ecuador, following in the footsteps of its ally Venezuela, has threatened to expropriate the holdings of foreign oil companies unless they agree to hand over more oil revenue to the cash-strapped government.

China Gives Venezuela $20 Billion

China will provide $20 billion in fresh funding to Venezuela, the latest sign of the Asian giant's expanding economic and financial role in Latin America

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Is there profit in the destruction caused by the Volcano? Here is a reminder from Bastiat about that...

Frederic Bastiat wrote about "The Broken Window Fallacy" in the mid-1800's.  It is still applicable today and it STILL is misused by politicians, and the public alike, to equate damage/destruction to "encouraging industry". Be on the look-out in the media for suggestions that "there may be profit in destruction".  I am certain you will see many references...
Have you ever been witness to the fury of that solid citizen, James Goodfellow,*1 when his incorrigible son has happened to break a pane of glass? If you have been present at this spectacle, certainly you must also have observed that the onlookers, even if there are as many as thirty of them, seem with one accord to offer the unfortunate owner the selfsame consolation: "It's an ill wind that blows nobody some good. Such accidents keep industry going. Everybody has to make a living. What would become of the glaziers if no one ever broke a window?"

....From which, by generalizing, we arrive at this unexpected conclusion: "Society loses the value of objects unnecessarily destroyed," and at this aphorism, which will make the hair of the protectionists stand on end: "To break, to destroy, to dissipate is not to encourage national employment," or more briefly: "Destruction is not profitable."
What will the Moniteur industriel say to this, or the disciples of the estimable M. de Saint-Chamans,*3 who has calculated with such precision what industry would gain from the burning of Paris, because of the houses that would have to be rebuilt?

I paid WAY MORE Federal Taxes than General Electric did...Guessin' you did too!!

I paid WAY MORE Federal Taxes than General Electric did...Guessin' you did too!!

From CNN :GE: 7,000 tax returns, $0 U.S. tax bill

General Electric filed more than 7,000 income tax returns in hundreds of global jurisdictions last year, but when push came to shove, the company owed the U.S. government a whopping bill of $0.  How'd it pull off that trick? By losing lots of money. GE had plenty of earnings last year -- just not in the United States. For tax purposes, the company's U.S. operations lost $408 million, while its international businesses netted a $10.8 billion profit.
That left GE (GE, Fortune 500) with no U.S. profit left for Uncle Sam to tax. Corporations typically face a 35% federal income tax on their earnings. Thanks to its deductions and adjustments, GE reported an actual U.S. federal income tax rate of negative 10.5%. It got to add a "tax benefit" of $1.1 billion back into its reported earnings.
"This is the first time in at least decades that GE has reported negative U.S. pretax income and it reflects the worst economy since the Great Depression," Anne Eisele, GE's director of financial communications, said via e-mail.
But what about the $10.8 billion profit overseas? GE is "indefinitely" deferring income tax payments on those profits, Eisele said.  It may seem like accounting magic, but it's completely legit.
GE isn't the only "Top 5" company on this year's Fortune 500 list that owed no income taxes. Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), which suffered major losses in 2009, included a tax benefit of $1.9 billion in its annual profit.
"That's one way of escaping taxes," said Scott Hodge, president of the Tax Foundation. "Companies get to deduct their losses, so if there's no earnings, then they pay no income tax."
But GE isn't exactly escaping all tax-related pain: The company paid almost $23 billion in taxes to governments around the world from 2000 to 2009, Eisele said.  Plus, paying the accountants to crank out 7,000 tax returns can't be cheap. 
And then there's all the lawyers needed to defend those returns. GE filed tax paperwork in more than 250 jurisdictions around the world last year. "We are under examination or engaged in tax litigation in many of these jurisdictions," the company dryly notes in its annual report.
GE may not owe the IRS, but it still has to file -- and its filings are epic.
In 2006, as the IRS ramped up its corporate e-filing program, the tax agency actually issued a celebratory press release when it processed GE's tax return. On paper, the return -- the nation's largest -- would have totaled a massive 24,000 pages. But instead, the IRS was able to upload the 237 MB document in under an hour.  Reading it, though, is apparently taking a bit longer. The IRS is currently auditing GE's tax returns for 2003-2007.

Record time in clearing a check...Great job IRS!

Has to be a record for check clearing...I went to the post office and MAILED (regular, no reciept) my tax return on Tuesday, April 13th AFTER schoo at about 4:30pm. THIS morning SUNDAY, April 18th the check I had to write is shown as cashed in my checking account.. I assume this had to have been cleared before the close of bank business on Friday...Efficiency is back in government and the IRS is setting the example...Can this be good??

Libertarians dont have it figured out either...

Want to live in one of the richest counties in the US? Move to Virginia or Maryland? What makes them so special?

If you want to live in the one of the Top Ten richest counties in America then you should move to a Washington D.C. suburb in Virginia or Maryland...Hmmm...I wonder why there is such a concentration of wealth in that area?  When political power and taxpayer money are vast and concentrated, the rent-seekers (lobbyists/corporations/other do-gooders for my welfare) will be vast and concentrated too...Only pointing out a symtom, not the illness...(via Newmarks Door)

Shakira for Presdent--I have NO doubt it will happen someday...

I have a bold prediction: Shakira will be Presdent of Columbia someday...I have read other things about her from time to time and am impressed with how she runs her business, her seriousness in her causes and relative humbleness (perhaps the thing I MOST respect)...This article and selected comments (VIA Aidwatch) illustrate what I think MORE celebrities should model...

(1) Shakira is concentrating on a place she knows well — her native coastal Colombia, including her hometown of Barranquilla. Points for local knowledge compared to Africa-touring celebrities who wouldn’t know a fufu stick from a groundnut. When she visits her projects, she’s visiting people she knows.

(2) She’s starting to work with impoverished Latino kids in the US — another group she knows well from her own life experience. More points for local knowledge.

(3) she’s focusing on primary and secondary education, which apparently she again feels strongly about from her own experience. Points for specialization.
Shakira’s latest contribution went to our hometown. In February 2009, the Barefoot Foundation inaugurated a $6 million K-12 mega-school. El colegio de Shakira, as it is known locally, gets only praise. A friend described it to me as an American institution, by which she meant state-of-the-art. The complex includes an auditorium, chemistry labs and even air conditioning. “Parents receive English classes and computer skills,” Shakira says, “and the entire neighborhood can play soccer there.” Families look for every possible way to move close to the school.

"Badgers! Badgers! I dont need no stinkin' Badgers!!"

From WSJ: Queen Guitarist Digs Badgers Even If the Farmers Loathe Them

On Queen guitarist Brian May's blog, the hottest topic isn't his searing solo on "We Will Rock You" or the operatic ambition of "Bohemian Rhapsody." It's the badger "genocide" Mr. May fears is headed to the Welsh countryside. Mr. May is part of a large badger-loving community trying to block government plans to kill up to 1,000 of the furry creatures in coming months. Farmers blame the animals for spreading tuberculosis to cattle. A group called Badger Trust has spent close to £100,000 ($154,000) on a legal battle to try to stop the planned killing....

Is there a "world community"? Really?? If so, WHERE IS IT???

Sometimes I REALLY hate the world... :(  To learn more about this issue and more about Human Rights in Africa this site ENOUGH is GREAT...

From BBC: DR Congo gang rape crisis 'spreading', new study says

More than half of the victims of rape in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo were gang raped by armed men, a report says.  For years rape has been used against women in the region but the report reveals the scale of the problem. More than 4,000 rape victims were interviewed over a four-year period. The authors of the report, commissioned by Oxfam, say there is also evidence suggesting a dramatic rise in the number of rapes by civilians. It comes at a time when there is debate over how long the United Nations peacekeeping force should remain in DR Congo. The extensive research, carried out by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, in the eastern South Kivu province produced shocking findings.  It shows that 60% of the rape victims were gang raped by armed men and more than half of the assaults took place in the victims' homes.

UN impact

There was also evidence of a large increase in the number of rapes carried out by civilians.  Back in 2004, 1% of rapes were committed by civilians, the report says. Four years later they were responsible for more than a third of these attacks. The researchers say this proves that the scale of rape during years of war in DR Congo has made this crime seem more acceptable. Oxfam says given the insecurity in DR Congo, it is imperative the UN peacekeepers stay. The UN troops have been backing efforts to defeat rebels linked to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. However research shows that when these UN-backed offensives are carried out, women become even more vulnerable. The rebels and the government troops use rape as a weapon of war to punish civilians. The victims face terrible stigma and this new study reveals that more than half of the women waited at least a year before seeking treatment. War-torn South Kivu is home to five million people but there is just one hospital which can offer suitable help to victims of rape. Oxfam wants the world's richer countries to help increase the medical services available for survivors of sexual violence in Congo. Last year alone the UN says more than 5,000 people were raped in South Kivu.

Keynan Flowers and the Volcano---The interconectedness of International Trade...

The inter-connectedness of international business....
From  BBC: Kenya flower industry hit by flight cancellations

Kenya's flower industry has been badly hit by the cancellation of flights across Europe because of the ash cloud caused by a volcano in Iceland. 
The head of the Kenya Flower Council told the BBC it was costing growers between $1.5m and $2m a day.
She said about 500 tonnes of flowers were currently being kept in cool storage at Nairobi's airport.
Flowers are the East African country's biggest export earner, accounting for about 20% of all exports.
Flower trucks arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Friday morning were being turned away.
"On the flower farms we have to continue harvesting the flowers," Kenya Flower Council chief executive Jane Ngige told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
Every day we deliver about 12 to 15 tonnes of roses and that translates to about 6m to 7m [Kenyan] shillings, Sian Roses manager Haroun Koimur "Even if this cargo was to be lifted we have a problem of eroded quality so it would fetch much less than if it had left fresh," she said. 
The manager of Sian Roses near the capital, Nairobi, told the BBC the business was incurring loses of up to $80,000 a day because of the cancelled flights. 
"Every day we deliver about 12 to 15 tonnes of roses and that translates to about 6m to 7m [Kenyan] shillings," Haroun Koimur said.
He said some staff had already been sent home until it became clear when flights would resume again.
The BBC's Anne Waithera in Nairobi says the industry has recovered from the post-poll violence in 2008, which particularly hit farms in the Rift Valley. 
But she says this could prove a bigger blow if it continues as it affects growers countrywide.
According to the Kenya Flower Council, 97% of all Kenya's flower exports are sent to the European Union.
About 300 growers employ an estimated 100,000 people, with about 1.2m people deriving their livelihood from the flower export industry.
The Eyjafjallajokull volcano system began erupting on Wednesday for the second time in a month, hurling a plume of ash 11km (seven miles) into the atmosphere.

Scientists say the volcano is still erupting but producing less ash and flights are likely to be disrupted into the weekend.

I-PAD runs Norway! I underestimated it...

Nice publicity for Norway, not so much for Israel...

Norway Uses iPad to Run the Government During Icelandic Volcano

Thousands of travelers are stranded throughout Europe as ash continues to rain down from an erupting volcano in Iceland this week. Among them is Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg who, according to his press secretary, is “running the Norwegian government from the United States via his new iPad.” 
CNN reports that the Norwegian prime minister was in New York this week for President Obama’s nuclear summit and has been left stranded on American soil thanks to the widespread closure of most of European airspace. The volcanic eruption sent a cloud of ash toward mainland Europe that could take up to 48 hours to dissipate, resulting in over 6,000 canceled flights across the E.U.
The people of Norway, however, can rest easy knowing all political affairs will be safely and soundly resolved via Apple’s latest gadget wunderkind. Meanwhile, Israel has apparently rejected the potential diplomatic utility of the iPad, considering the country has banned all imports of the device. Maybe Steve Jobs can hire Stoltenberg to do some outreach. 
The obvious question here is: Should Obama get an iPad?