Karma's Dirty Secrets Memoir

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Crescent Healthcare, A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Walgreens–Security Breach With the Personal Health Records, Again Time to License and Tax the Data Sellers Out There To Help Regulate Data Flow & Profits

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Not too long ago Walgreens made the news that pharmacists and all involved in clinical patient treatment areas would have access to a patient’s personal health record, used via their retail clinics. I don’t know if this is the specific information relating to those data bases or not as discussed in this article as is appears that the information relates to those patients.  Back in 2010 Walgreens and Omnicare swapped businesses to where Walgreens took over the home infusion business, so of course this meant some data IT work had to be done to integrate with those records owned by Omni.  Omnicare has had issues in the past with whistleblower legal cases with Johnson and Johnson over the years which was pretty highly publicized. 

“Crescent Healthcare, a Walgreens company, manages and delivers integrated pharmacy and nursing solutions in alternate site settings.  Accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC), we are committed to delivering exceptional quality care that is both clinically appropriate and cost effective.

Crescent Healthcare, a Walgreens company, is part of Walgreens Infusion Services, the leading provider of infusion therapies for over 30 years. “

Walgreens and Omnicare Swap Businesses–Giving Long Term Pharmacy Care to Omni and They Get Omni’s Home Infusion Business

 
The article states that “paper” was stolen as well and perhaps this was information that was yet to be input?  The “hardware” was stolen, so we don’t know if this was a single computer or did they get away with some servers.  So if one was a patient with their infusion drug areas, well it looks like that’s the information to include names, addresses dob, and clinical diagnoses that were lifted.  You know Walgreens as well as so many other healthcare entities makes a ton of money selling data (like around short of $800 million in 2010, SEC Report on intangible income) and it has to be formatted and cleaned up for use with ensuring data integrity is present before it can be sold too, so one wonders what was being done with this data possibly?  Was it work in progress to format data for sale?  It could have been and then maybe not, but a good question to ask today with the huge epidemic of data being sold today and the surmounting flaws that keep growing at a rapid pace too. 

Chances are few of those affected probably even know the potential amount of their data being sold, much less being stolen now too.  It’s a tough world out there for consumers today and again breaches as such along with a federal website where consumers could look up who sells what kind of data and to who would be extremely helpful in times when breaches occur as well.  Otherwise nobody knows until they get “that letter”.   Right on the website the infusion drug page for Walgreens states they have experts to help you work with your insurers too.  Their listed 98% satisfaction rate might drop a little after the breach, maybe? 


So again when items like this happen it would make sense to have all banks, companies, etc. licensed and excise taxed on the data they sell as billions and billions of profit are made, running on servers 24/7 and you as a consumer are completely blind to the process, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.  The US government needs to hire technologists to fight crime anyway.  You might want to read what I said over at the weekend at the Daily Koz.  This is just my opinion here and based on all that has been in the news related to making money on selling data and breaches perhaps this calls for a new focus of putting security with data ahead of making money selling data.  The data selling has just gone hog wild out there and when a company has to make a decision today to expand and build a factory versus hiring a few technologists to set up data mining and selling with little or no federal regulation and the millions come in from selling it off the servers, where’s the incentive for companies to create jobs when this very profitable option is available?  It’s definitely something to give some thought too as when it is used out of context, and we seeing some of this along with the good, it hurts consumers.  Again we don’t know what the status was on the data stolen or where it was being directed but this is a good question we might all be asking more today from all of those banks and companies selling our data.  So what would one think the thieves are going to do with the data, sell it of course, so wake up time.  BD

Time Has Come to License and Tax the Data Sellers of the Web, Companies, Banks, Social Networks..Any One Making a Profit-Latest Microsoft/Google Privacy War Helping the Cause –Consumers Deserve to Know What Is Being Sold and To Who in a Searchable Format

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A Walgreens healthcare company has notified patients and employees of a data breach after computer hardware and other paper records containing the personal health information and Social Security numbers of patients was stolen.

Anaheim, Calif.-based Crescent Healthcare mailed out letters to patients and employees Feb. 21, notifying them of the theft which occurred Dec. 28, 2012. According to the letter, an unknown person or persons broke into Crescent's billing center and stole the hardware, which may have contained patient names, addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, health insurance data, dates of birth and clinical diagnoses. The group notified authorities three days later. 

http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/walgreens-company-announces-data-breach?topic=18

Half of Analytics Investments By Companies and Banks Will Be a Waste–What Do We Analyze with Big Data and Does It Have Value–Some Algo Fairies Would Do Better at Disneyland…

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This is a great article and some folks who have some foresight here.  I write the Medical Quack to bring some understanding to the layman level as best I can and already I’m seeing this in some of the stuff in healthcare.  You can’t turn linear data into non linear and expect to find relationships that have value.  CEO was squash their Quants to the max though to come up with something they can sell.  Boy have we seen that and it just doesn’t work.  I keep touting the videos on the left hand side of this blog and if you want some answers and explanations, watch them.  These are people smarter than me and in my time of developing software it’s the same mechanics with queries and developing analytics software, just bigger today and more headaches to find that one in a million model that “may” be correct and “may” work. 

When you see all these stats thrown at you day in and day out, it’s the old bait and switch as anyone who has any kind of a sales or marketing background knows that’s the oldest trick in the book to start firing back with statistics whether they are correct or not.  Money drives this of course and if you have bunk stats and the person at the other end sucks in, then you have made a sale and put money in your pocket.  I like accurate data and how it makes me smarter and how I can use my human brain based on good research with good clean data to make decisions.  We are not getting that anymore out there all the time and it’s getting difficult to tell the difference as everyone has some really nice marketing campaigns that are done so well, it’s almost hard not to believe.  Well let’s see that math formula looks good, it even has a square root in it and I’ve seen it all week, so it must be good, right…not always. 

The article says around 50% and I think that’s a fair estimation and one man said it was 40% being good data.  This is one of the better posts I think I have done to explain how this works as you have big companies, NASA and others in a forum discussion on what in the heck are we doing with our big data.  The gal from T-Mobile is my favorite as she comes right out and says what we are doing is “silly”.  Hats off and kudos there.  First part of fixing anything is recognizing there’s a problem:)  Watch the video at the link below for more insight as to how this works and the discussion as it’s a good one. 

Big Data/Analytics If Used Out of Context and Without True Values Stand To Be A Huge Discriminatory Practice Against Consumers–More Honest Data Scientists Needed to Formulate Accuracy/Value To Keep Algo Duping For Profit Out of the Game

We had in the news the big TIME article about the expenses of healthcare and there was no mention of Health IT, so how can you leave that out?  It was a good article but left out the math and formulas and it’s the latest link in what I call my Attack of the Killer Algorithms series. 

Why Medical Bills Are Out of Control–Steven Brill From Time Magazine “The Bitter Pill” With Jon Stewart…Killer Algorithms Part 55 (Videos)

I probably read too much but occasionally I take on the garbage stats that appear when they get to the point to where they are claiming savings that “nobody” can predict.  When I start seeing “trillions” in savings claimed, red flag:)  I realize that I see things a little different than how how the average consumer does but keep in mind, perception is everything and I get right down to the reality of how this works as I’ve done some of this and someone who has never written a stick of code has no clue on the mechanics and thus so their perceptions will be all over the place as you just don’t know. 

Media and Press Releases In Healthcare That Go Nowhere–Marketing to Sell You Analytics With Using Fear and Misplaced Guilt Overtones As a Theme

There’s plenty of folks out there much more versed in areas than I am because that’s their area of work or focus, been that way for years so I don’t know everything but the mechanics of how this works with selling data is black and white as I intend to present it, no algorithm fairies just mechanics on how it is written and how it works.  Politicians and others can talk all they want but until changes are made at this level, nothing changes.

If all of what you see out there, and let’s use the markets as an example, were so good, we could fire every analyst off the Street, right?  Point made here is there’s still levels of errors and in linear calculations, machines do it better and they the human with machine assistance can come to some “educated” conclusions, hopefully, if they are not Algo Duped if the answers don’t look quite right:)

We see a lot of “strange” perceptions too from those in Congress and a big part of this is a low or no level of participation with consumer technologies and that old paradigm of “its for those guys over there” just won’t go away.  They say they participate but come on if they did, we would not be hearing some of the idiotic stuff we hear today..non participants stick out like a sore thumb, especially when they are really reaching out to gain some control over some issue and that’s why we have this deal on woman’s health that comes up, digital illiteracy.  I should have started a series on the “those guys over there” as there’s certainly enough of it (grin).  Those folks making laws certainly need help understanding technology for sure and the Sunshine Foundation is right here. 

Congress Needs a Bigger Brain–Restore the Office of Technology Assessment And Truly Assess What is Useful And Remove The Algo Duping Permeating In Government–Fantasy Perceptions That Are Not Real Can Be A Dangerous Thing

So coming back around on topic here, the analytics that you see out there do not all have value but developers, quants and others who have this big pressure on them to make money are getting very creative today and you about likely to see any and all kinds of analytics out there.  The one big farce that I see is the FICO medication compliance analytics, this is being sold to make money only.  They are doing one heck of an effort to market though but they are using both credible and non credible data together and sure you crunch numbers to trend as that is helpful but not when you take it to the limit they have with individual scoring and these bogus results, kind of like the old grading on the curve if you are old enough to remember…yeah…you don’t' get your real score (grin), that’s the name of that tune. 

Remember that company Accretive and their analytics? 

 How do you like these business analytics at the link below?  Which 50% area of Business Analytics should this fall in?  I guess that depends if you are a consumer or a big corporation trying to make some millions selling data. 

Latest From Health Insurance Business Intelligence Analytics For Avoiding Risk and Saving Money, Break Up Marriages and Dump the Spouse Coverage

I agree with this article, some folks with some smarts who are not afraid to speak out, even if it is in Australia, it all works the same world wide.  So you can read what I suggest to help this out because folks are just running wild with analytics and not all of it is good and manufacturing can use a boost and this is the way to do it with weaning folks of the algorithm for lunch trail and at least make some take a look at “junk” if that is what they are anticipating selling for profit when they know “real” value is not there or if they have had their quants fictionalize the risk.  That happens. 

Time Has Come to License and Tax the Data Sellers of the Web, Companies, Banks, Social Networks..Any One Making a Profit-Latest Microsoft/Google Privacy War Helping the Cause –Consumers Deserve to Know What Is Being Sold and To Who in a Searchable Format

An now for a little satire…Data addition and abuse, the next upcoming 12 step program?…I said this in August of 2010:)  BD

---

Organizations have a 50-50 chance of yielding any benefits from their business analytics investments, according to Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) manager of information systems and frontline analytics David Tanis.

During a panel discussion at the Gartner Business Intelligence & Information Management Summit 2013 in Sydney, SAP innovation evangelist Timo Elliott said all businesses will gain something from every business analytics investment they make, since there is a lesson to be learned even in a failed project. But Tanis, who was also on the panel, was not so optimistic.

The third panellist, QlikView vice president of global marketing Henry Seddon, was even more pessimistic, tipping the failure rate of investment into analytics to be about 60 percent.

Big data has commonly been defined by the three Vs: Variety, velocity, and volume. Many organizations are attempting to harness the potential of big data for a number of uses, from gaining meaningful business intelligence to targeting marketing strategies. Each face their own challenges in analysing the vast amounts of unstructured data that are available, which can come from many different sources, including social media and video content.

http://www.zdnet.com/au/half-of-analytics-investments-will-be-a-waste-commonwealth-bank-7000011758/

Homeowners' Benefit: Alamo Homes Line the Iron Horse Trail

To contact us Click HERE


East of San Francisco Bay, past the beauty of the Oakland hills, is the upscale and exclusive town of Alamo. And Alamo has just about everything one could want in the way of lifestyle. Being centrally-located in the Golden State, the Bay Area provides Alamo with all of the big attractions like the Pacific Ocean (about an hour), the intriguing cultural theaters of the big city, wine tasting in the gorgeous Napa Valley, the World Champion San Francisco Giants, as well as skiing and entertainment fun at Lake Tahoe.

Sometimes, many of the added-value small amenities that exist in the Bay Area present themselves after one has lived in a neighborhood for some period of time, in other words, you end up "discovering them". But, "if these perks can be known ahead of time, small attractions usually become significant in any home-buying decision as they may greatly improve quality of life", says two Realtors over coffee. "The Iron Horse Trail is one of those not-so-small treasures one loves while living in the town of Alamo", he adds.

"Well, get up and drink some water and let's go!" I say to our white German Shepherd "Mika" (pronounced "Mee-ka"). Into the bathroom she pads to her dish, I hear "slurp, slurp, slurp", and she is back waiting eagerly by the door after taking a series of gigantic happy-bounces. Her big brown eyes and dolphin-like smile let me know that at least with her, "my stock is up today!" As the door opens, she is out of the house and into the bright sunshine, fresh air and trees, acting like a two year old puppy. Come on, she pleads; there are dogs to visit and people to see! Mika strongly believes that a walk is the absolute best thing that can happen in any given day. This is living, this is luxury!

And, everyone does love a great place to enjoy a leisurely walk, reacquaint with nature while pondering life's bigger challenges. They say there is no exercise like walking to line-up all the muscles and bones in your body while making peace with your mind. Dogs know this, too. Also, for those of you with young bones who love to jog, I know just the place in Alamo. So, go ahead, like me, you can take your puppy for a walk, exercise your horse, ride your mountain bike, roll along on inline skates, enjoy the sunshine, breathe some fresh air, and get that positive attitude going for the day on the Iron Horse Trail.

With her head moving from side to side, those big German Shepherd ears are up and ready for anything, Mika is happy to be going onto "her trail". "Don't pull my arm like that!" I command. Mika is hearing none of it, she is "on a walk" and nothing else matters. Like sports car enthusiasts who live for an on-ramp, shepherd dogs live for a walk.

According to Alamo Real Estate professionals, a great benefit of living in the San Ramon Valley in the East San Francisco Bay Area is being able to enjoy use of the Iron Horse Trail. The trail, appropriately-named after early Indians dubbed a steam locomotive an "Iron Horse", stretches south from Concord through Walnut Creek, Alamo, Danville, San Ramon all the way to Dublin and Pleasanton. It passes through Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. This great trail is relatively flat, paved, and well-maintained. The roughly 33-mile trail was built after the Iron Horses of the Southern Pacific Railroad became silent and abandoned the land in 1977. Serving as an important recreational and even commute choice for the communities it passes through, it poses the thought: "Why not take my bike to shopping, to the store, or even skate to work?" I, for one, cannot offer an excuse as to why not as the trail is open most all of the day from 0500 am until 10:00 pm.

Arriving at the turn-around point on our walk, Mika has slowed down a little and is now acting her 88 people-years of age. Somewhere along the way, she greets her friend Sarah, a black and brown Shepherd, as well as every other dog she sees while "getting her dog news". She also knows it is time for us to stop in and relax while getting some chow at one of the nearby restaurants. People have to "get the news" too. Remarkably, restaurants are friendly here to the dog population, and Mika, for one, really appreciates it.

A great benefit of this fabulous trail is that one may find food (I like Alamo Plaza and Danville for several breakfast and lunch haunts) in many places if the need strikes you, or if you just want to sit, share a cup of coffee, and chat with fortunate local residents. Restaurants in Alamo include MaggieRay's stellar barbeque for yummy ribs, pulled pork and tasty salads. Cherubini Coffee shop, Starbucks, and Peet's Coffee offer great sit around and chat places too. In nearby Danville, the best breakfast is to be had from historic Vally Medlyn's restaurant.

The Iron Horse connects almost seamlessly to four other great Trails: the Ygnacio Canal Trail, the Contra Costa Canal Trail, the Las Trampas to Mt. Diablo Regional Trail, and the Briones to Mt. Diablo Trail. Close by, in several of the communities the Iron Horse passes through, are entrances to the huge Las Trampas Regional Park as well as close-by access to the beautiful Mt. Diablo State Park. However, one should reserve the Las Trampas and Mt. Diablo trails for more serious hikes whereas the Iron Horse is for everybody.

The Iron Horse Trail transits many residential neighborhoods, along canals and a golf course, and is near Hap Magee Park in Danville. Hap Magee Park is now famous as a great dog park, and is especially popular with Mika's new friend "Nicki".

Ok, now brunch is over and it time to head home to her relaxing bed. Mika is happy overall in having the best walk she has ever had. Like me and to her, every walk along the Iron Horse is the best walk we have ever had.

What a wonderful home Alamo is to live in, and a great place to buy real estate. Perhaps the wonderful perk of the Iron Horse Trail will be yours to enjoy too.


Michael S. Hatfield invites Home property Buyers and Sellers to search listings of homes for sale on his website http://www.alamoluxuryhomes.com. To better assist Clients, this site is enabled in several languages. The site includes tips on how to prepare your home for sale, provides the latest Real Estate News, gives info on where to dine locally or get a Contractor, find a bouquet of flowers as well as a virtual multitude of really useful stuff. Alamoluxuryhomes.com allows the client to setup a Listing Manager Account so that a client can store properties they are interested in, as well as save property searches for retrieval and study later. Log in to http://alamoluxuryhomes.com and get the help you need so get the absolute best Real Estate deal.

Mexico Real Estate's Gems - Cancun Compared to Puerto Vallarta

To contact us Click HERE
Mexico real estate has many excellent locations for Americans and Canadians to consider; two that stand out as exceptional choices are Cancun real estate and Puerto Vallarta real estate. The following is a comparison of some similarities and differences.
Similarities
Beachfront - Both Cancun and Puerto Vallarta are located on some of Mexico's finest beaches. In both places, beachfront properties are readily available and life on the beach can be enjoyed directly at your "front door." Both locations also offer nice properties back from the beach with close driving access to enjoy a walk in the warm sand, or a cold drink on a sunny day.
Luxury Properties - The properties available in both locations are very nice, with spacious design, nice views, high-quality finishing details, onsite amenities (in the case of condo complexes) and full modern connections for everything from basic electricity to high-speed internet. A beachfront lifestyle can be enjoyed in comfort.
Pricing - Just as important is that these luxury properties can be found in both Cancun and Puerto Vallarta for prices accessible to the average American budget. Financial tools such as mortgages help to make this even more accessible. The cost of day-to-day life is also considerably lower, making life's little luxuries much easier to afford.
Modern Services - Both locations have grown to be Mexico's top tourist destinations. Along with this large-scale tourism have come many modern services including activities like boat tours, sight-seeing tours, movie theaters and professional golf, as well as day-to-day necessities like Walmart, Home Depot, modern malls and top of the line clinics and hospitals.
Differences
Pacific vs. Caribbean - Puerto Vallarta is located on the Pacific Ocean, offering beautiful views of splendid sunsets where it looks like the sky is on fire. The Pacific Ocean also offers some unique oceanfront activities like surfing. Cancun, on the other hand, faces east on the Caribbean.
Views - Puerto Vallarta not only offers views of the Ocean, but also of the beaches stretching out along the bay and the surrounding mountains. Cancun offers views of it's very wide, white beaches, and the uniquely turquoise Caribbean beyond - beaches that many consider to be most beautiful in the world.
History - Puerto Vallarta has its Old Town, and is not too far away from the birth place of Mexico's famous liquor, the Tequila Valley. Cancun's is close to many Mayan ruins, and about 1.5 hours from the awe-inspiring Chichen Itza pyramids, now one of the new wonders of the world.
The choice between these two locations can be a tough one, and is largely dependent on personal taste. In either case, a buyer will be enjoying a beachfront lifestyle at its best, at a price they can afford!
TOPMexicoRealEstate.com; Mexico's Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely

Almost Wasn't - A Memoir Of My Abortion And How God Used Me

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Karma's Dirty Secrets Memoir

To contact us Click HERE

Cheap Karma's Dirty Secrets Memoir

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===>> Check and Compare Prices This Before You Buy

Homeowners' Benefit: Alamo Homes Line the Iron Horse Trail

To contact us Click HERE


East of San Francisco Bay, past the beauty of the Oakland hills, is the upscale and exclusive town of Alamo. And Alamo has just about everything one could want in the way of lifestyle. Being centrally-located in the Golden State, the Bay Area provides Alamo with all of the big attractions like the Pacific Ocean (about an hour), the intriguing cultural theaters of the big city, wine tasting in the gorgeous Napa Valley, the World Champion San Francisco Giants, as well as skiing and entertainment fun at Lake Tahoe.

Sometimes, many of the added-value small amenities that exist in the Bay Area present themselves after one has lived in a neighborhood for some period of time, in other words, you end up "discovering them". But, "if these perks can be known ahead of time, small attractions usually become significant in any home-buying decision as they may greatly improve quality of life", says two Realtors over coffee. "The Iron Horse Trail is one of those not-so-small treasures one loves while living in the town of Alamo", he adds.

"Well, get up and drink some water and let's go!" I say to our white German Shepherd "Mika" (pronounced "Mee-ka"). Into the bathroom she pads to her dish, I hear "slurp, slurp, slurp", and she is back waiting eagerly by the door after taking a series of gigantic happy-bounces. Her big brown eyes and dolphin-like smile let me know that at least with her, "my stock is up today!" As the door opens, she is out of the house and into the bright sunshine, fresh air and trees, acting like a two year old puppy. Come on, she pleads; there are dogs to visit and people to see! Mika strongly believes that a walk is the absolute best thing that can happen in any given day. This is living, this is luxury!

And, everyone does love a great place to enjoy a leisurely walk, reacquaint with nature while pondering life's bigger challenges. They say there is no exercise like walking to line-up all the muscles and bones in your body while making peace with your mind. Dogs know this, too. Also, for those of you with young bones who love to jog, I know just the place in Alamo. So, go ahead, like me, you can take your puppy for a walk, exercise your horse, ride your mountain bike, roll along on inline skates, enjoy the sunshine, breathe some fresh air, and get that positive attitude going for the day on the Iron Horse Trail.

With her head moving from side to side, those big German Shepherd ears are up and ready for anything, Mika is happy to be going onto "her trail". "Don't pull my arm like that!" I command. Mika is hearing none of it, she is "on a walk" and nothing else matters. Like sports car enthusiasts who live for an on-ramp, shepherd dogs live for a walk.

According to Alamo Real Estate professionals, a great benefit of living in the San Ramon Valley in the East San Francisco Bay Area is being able to enjoy use of the Iron Horse Trail. The trail, appropriately-named after early Indians dubbed a steam locomotive an "Iron Horse", stretches south from Concord through Walnut Creek, Alamo, Danville, San Ramon all the way to Dublin and Pleasanton. It passes through Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. This great trail is relatively flat, paved, and well-maintained. The roughly 33-mile trail was built after the Iron Horses of the Southern Pacific Railroad became silent and abandoned the land in 1977. Serving as an important recreational and even commute choice for the communities it passes through, it poses the thought: "Why not take my bike to shopping, to the store, or even skate to work?" I, for one, cannot offer an excuse as to why not as the trail is open most all of the day from 0500 am until 10:00 pm.

Arriving at the turn-around point on our walk, Mika has slowed down a little and is now acting her 88 people-years of age. Somewhere along the way, she greets her friend Sarah, a black and brown Shepherd, as well as every other dog she sees while "getting her dog news". She also knows it is time for us to stop in and relax while getting some chow at one of the nearby restaurants. People have to "get the news" too. Remarkably, restaurants are friendly here to the dog population, and Mika, for one, really appreciates it.

A great benefit of this fabulous trail is that one may find food (I like Alamo Plaza and Danville for several breakfast and lunch haunts) in many places if the need strikes you, or if you just want to sit, share a cup of coffee, and chat with fortunate local residents. Restaurants in Alamo include MaggieRay's stellar barbeque for yummy ribs, pulled pork and tasty salads. Cherubini Coffee shop, Starbucks, and Peet's Coffee offer great sit around and chat places too. In nearby Danville, the best breakfast is to be had from historic Vally Medlyn's restaurant.

The Iron Horse connects almost seamlessly to four other great Trails: the Ygnacio Canal Trail, the Contra Costa Canal Trail, the Las Trampas to Mt. Diablo Regional Trail, and the Briones to Mt. Diablo Trail. Close by, in several of the communities the Iron Horse passes through, are entrances to the huge Las Trampas Regional Park as well as close-by access to the beautiful Mt. Diablo State Park. However, one should reserve the Las Trampas and Mt. Diablo trails for more serious hikes whereas the Iron Horse is for everybody.

The Iron Horse Trail transits many residential neighborhoods, along canals and a golf course, and is near Hap Magee Park in Danville. Hap Magee Park is now famous as a great dog park, and is especially popular with Mika's new friend "Nicki".

Ok, now brunch is over and it time to head home to her relaxing bed. Mika is happy overall in having the best walk she has ever had. Like me and to her, every walk along the Iron Horse is the best walk we have ever had.

What a wonderful home Alamo is to live in, and a great place to buy real estate. Perhaps the wonderful perk of the Iron Horse Trail will be yours to enjoy too.


Michael S. Hatfield invites Home property Buyers and Sellers to search listings of homes for sale on his website http://www.alamoluxuryhomes.com. To better assist Clients, this site is enabled in several languages. The site includes tips on how to prepare your home for sale, provides the latest Real Estate News, gives info on where to dine locally or get a Contractor, find a bouquet of flowers as well as a virtual multitude of really useful stuff. Alamoluxuryhomes.com allows the client to setup a Listing Manager Account so that a client can store properties they are interested in, as well as save property searches for retrieval and study later. Log in to http://alamoluxuryhomes.com and get the help you need so get the absolute best Real Estate deal.

Mexico Real Estate's Gems - Cancun Compared to Puerto Vallarta

To contact us Click HERE
Mexico real estate has many excellent locations for Americans and Canadians to consider; two that stand out as exceptional choices are Cancun real estate and Puerto Vallarta real estate. The following is a comparison of some similarities and differences.
Similarities
Beachfront - Both Cancun and Puerto Vallarta are located on some of Mexico's finest beaches. In both places, beachfront properties are readily available and life on the beach can be enjoyed directly at your "front door." Both locations also offer nice properties back from the beach with close driving access to enjoy a walk in the warm sand, or a cold drink on a sunny day.
Luxury Properties - The properties available in both locations are very nice, with spacious design, nice views, high-quality finishing details, onsite amenities (in the case of condo complexes) and full modern connections for everything from basic electricity to high-speed internet. A beachfront lifestyle can be enjoyed in comfort.
Pricing - Just as important is that these luxury properties can be found in both Cancun and Puerto Vallarta for prices accessible to the average American budget. Financial tools such as mortgages help to make this even more accessible. The cost of day-to-day life is also considerably lower, making life's little luxuries much easier to afford.
Modern Services - Both locations have grown to be Mexico's top tourist destinations. Along with this large-scale tourism have come many modern services including activities like boat tours, sight-seeing tours, movie theaters and professional golf, as well as day-to-day necessities like Walmart, Home Depot, modern malls and top of the line clinics and hospitals.
Differences
Pacific vs. Caribbean - Puerto Vallarta is located on the Pacific Ocean, offering beautiful views of splendid sunsets where it looks like the sky is on fire. The Pacific Ocean also offers some unique oceanfront activities like surfing. Cancun, on the other hand, faces east on the Caribbean.
Views - Puerto Vallarta not only offers views of the Ocean, but also of the beaches stretching out along the bay and the surrounding mountains. Cancun offers views of it's very wide, white beaches, and the uniquely turquoise Caribbean beyond - beaches that many consider to be most beautiful in the world.
History - Puerto Vallarta has its Old Town, and is not too far away from the birth place of Mexico's famous liquor, the Tequila Valley. Cancun's is close to many Mayan ruins, and about 1.5 hours from the awe-inspiring Chichen Itza pyramids, now one of the new wonders of the world.
The choice between these two locations can be a tough one, and is largely dependent on personal taste. In either case, a buyer will be enjoying a beachfront lifestyle at its best, at a price they can afford!
TOPMexicoRealEstate.com; Mexico's Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely

FDA Approves New Late Stage Breast Cancer Drug From Roche, Life Extending Kadcyla

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TDM-1 was the name given to the drug during the clinical trial.  One thing that’s not any different is the price of another life extending drug, about $9800 a month and will be available in a couple of weeks.  Kadcyla is a combination of a current cancer drug, Herceptin and a chemotherapy drug named DM-1.  It is to be prescribed when Herceptin is no longer effective on it’s own.  DM-1 on it’s own is way too toxic to delivery into the bloodstream alone.  A normal course of treatment is about 9  months so you can do the math here to see at the price listed above, it is expensive.  Of course they do have a hardship program where some might be able to get the drug for free.  BD

http://live.wsj.com/video/fda-approves-powerful-new-breast-cancer-drug/6D55C1F3-27D4-4D2F-BD72-B09F4EEEFCC1.html#!6D55C1F3-27D4-4D2F-BD72-B09F4EEEFCC1

Mexico Real Estate's Gems - Cancun Compared to Puerto Vallarta

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Mexico real estate has many excellent locations for Americans and Canadians to consider; two that stand out as exceptional choices are Cancun real estate and Puerto Vallarta real estate. The following is a comparison of some similarities and differences.
Similarities
Beachfront - Both Cancun and Puerto Vallarta are located on some of Mexico's finest beaches. In both places, beachfront properties are readily available and life on the beach can be enjoyed directly at your "front door." Both locations also offer nice properties back from the beach with close driving access to enjoy a walk in the warm sand, or a cold drink on a sunny day.
Luxury Properties - The properties available in both locations are very nice, with spacious design, nice views, high-quality finishing details, onsite amenities (in the case of condo complexes) and full modern connections for everything from basic electricity to high-speed internet. A beachfront lifestyle can be enjoyed in comfort.
Pricing - Just as important is that these luxury properties can be found in both Cancun and Puerto Vallarta for prices accessible to the average American budget. Financial tools such as mortgages help to make this even more accessible. The cost of day-to-day life is also considerably lower, making life's little luxuries much easier to afford.
Modern Services - Both locations have grown to be Mexico's top tourist destinations. Along with this large-scale tourism have come many modern services including activities like boat tours, sight-seeing tours, movie theaters and professional golf, as well as day-to-day necessities like Walmart, Home Depot, modern malls and top of the line clinics and hospitals.
Differences
Pacific vs. Caribbean - Puerto Vallarta is located on the Pacific Ocean, offering beautiful views of splendid sunsets where it looks like the sky is on fire. The Pacific Ocean also offers some unique oceanfront activities like surfing. Cancun, on the other hand, faces east on the Caribbean.
Views - Puerto Vallarta not only offers views of the Ocean, but also of the beaches stretching out along the bay and the surrounding mountains. Cancun offers views of it's very wide, white beaches, and the uniquely turquoise Caribbean beyond - beaches that many consider to be most beautiful in the world.
History - Puerto Vallarta has its Old Town, and is not too far away from the birth place of Mexico's famous liquor, the Tequila Valley. Cancun's is close to many Mayan ruins, and about 1.5 hours from the awe-inspiring Chichen Itza pyramids, now one of the new wonders of the world.
The choice between these two locations can be a tough one, and is largely dependent on personal taste. In either case, a buyer will be enjoying a beachfront lifestyle at its best, at a price they can afford!
TOPMexicoRealEstate.com; Mexico's Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely

Life Sciences Breakthrough Prize Founded by Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, Ann Wojcicki and Others Awards Turns 11 Scientists Into Millionaires Today

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Each award was worth $3 million dollars and the breakthroughs were from everything from cancer research to genomics.  The sponsors of the awards are from Google and Facebook, the CEOs and a few others named below. 

This is brand new as well as is the website and here’s the about information:

“Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences is founded by Art Levinson, Sergey Brin, Anne Wojcicki, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, and Yuri Milner to recognize excellence in research aimed at curing intractable diseases and extending human life. The prize is administered by the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to advancing breakthrough research, celebrating scientists and generating excitement about the pursuit of science as a career.

Founding sponsors of the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences include Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, and Yuri Milner, who collectively have agreed to establish 5 annual prizes, US$3 million each, going forward. These prizes will be awarded for past achievements in the field of life sciences, with the aim of providing the recipients with more freedom and opportunity to pursue even greater future accomplishments.

Going forward, each year’s prize winners will join the Selection Committee for future awardees. One of the distinguishing characteristics of the Breakthrough Prize will be a transparent selection process, in which anyone will be able to nominate a candidate online for consideration. Also, the prize can be shared between any number of deserving scientists and can be received more than once. In addition, there are no age restrictions for nominees.

All Breakthrough Prize recipients will be invited to present public talks targeting a general audience. These lectures, together with supporting materials, will be made available to the public, allowing everyone to keep abreast of the latest developments in life sciences, guided by contemporary masters of the field.”

The website says soon the site will enable nominations to be created for the next award, which is to take place annually and the awards today were the first inaugural winners.  One award went to Charles L. Sawyers, Head of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Pathology and Oncology Program.  Dr. Sawyers is already internationally recognized and is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator which is America’s Second Largest Charity. 

Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Partner to Fund Plant Research To Further Human Health as Well as Environmental Issues

All recipients were very stunned at the amount of the prizes they received indeed.  BD

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Eleven scientists became multimillionaires this morning when they were named the first winners of the new Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. Each researcher, whose specialties include genetics, stem cells, and cancer, will receive $3 million dollars, more than twice the maximum amount of a Nobel Prize.

Funded by several Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, including Arthur Levinson of Apple, venture capitalist Yuri Milner, and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, the Breakthrough Prize aims to "recogniz[e] excellence in research aimed at curing intractable diseases and extending human life," according to the foundation's Web site.

The first group of winners includes Cornelia I. Bargmann of Rockefeller University in New York City; David Botstein of Princeton University; Lewis C. Cantley of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City; Hans Clevers of the Hubrecht Institute in the Netherlands; Napoleone Ferrara of the University of California, San Diego; Titia de Lange of Rockefeller University; Eric S. Lander of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge; Charles L. Sawyers of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City; Bert Vogelstein of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland; Robert A. Weinberg of MIT; and the 2012 Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University and the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco.

http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2013/02/new-breakthrough-prize-awards-mi.html?ref=hp

Why Medical Bills Are Out of Control–Steven Brill From Time Magazine “The Bitter Pill” With Jon Stewart…Killer Algorithms Part 55 (Videos)

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Jon Stewart does a pretty good job with this serious topic.  There are 3 parts to the interview.  The point out that non-profits do make money.  MRIs are one of the first topics discussed and that has been in the news of late with the various charges and prices you get.  All the pricing is done with IT infrastructures that build on itself.  They don’t even touch the Health IT expenditures and how some of that goes.  I do that enough here.  Today saw this article about start ups and almost everyone of them looks like it has a model to sell data. 

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Here’s part two…the Charge Master…the complexities…Jon Stewart says this should be “required reading”…and I’ll add my 2 cents in the fact that all the money is made with models and algorithms…

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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The US doesn’t use it’s buying power he states.  Medicare for example is the best paying insurer in town in Florida.  Here’s a recent story that talks about complexity and the discounts the insurers negotiate..a carrier paying less than Medicare…

The AAFP Confronts United Healthcare On Reimbursements, Some Are Below Medicare Rates In Parts of the US–Payment Algorithms/Formulas Calculated Deep Within IT Infrastructures Do the Job

In Part 3 we are getting to the core, a lot of what I talk about government snowed by corporate USA business models and the complexities they build, to make money.  If you want to see more about how it works, watch the videos in the left hand side of this blog or visit the “Algo Duped” page. 

 

The high costs are due to excessive outsourcing in many areas.  When you outsource remember those on the other end want to make money. 

 

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Now for the other side of this too in how analytics used out of context get more of your money, read this article and watch the video and I tell you how analytics are written just to make money sometimes and how it further squeezes you as a consumer and the doctors.  Again watch the videos on the left on this blog to see how you get duped and how the profiteering is flawing the data.  They didn’t touch on the data selling aspect here but did you know Walgreens made short of $800 million in 2010 selling data only? Read more here.  More profits made on top of what is discussed here.  We are under the Attack of the Killer Algorithms.  BD

Big Data/Analytics If Used Out of Context and Without True Values Stand To Be A Huge Discriminatory Practice Against Consumers–More Honest Data Scientists Needed to Formulate Accuracy/Value To Keep Algo Duping For Profit Out of the Game

Digital Literacy Needed–Senator McConnell Staff Falls for Parody Blog Post–Everything On the Internet Is Not True, Duped, Duped and Duped Again

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You know I saw this and I had to laugh too one one side and on the other end it scares the daylights out of me.  I’m one of those out here with a few others that would just love to “help” educate some of these folks as that would save them from themselves.  The world is moving quick today and it is hard, sometimes to figure out what is real and what is not.  Watch my series of videos I have curated from folks smarter than me and you’ll get it.  It’s called Algo Duping 101. 

You will understand a bit more about how stats are used to sway you and the error factors that are inherent.  Most of the same videos are also on the left hand side of this blog if you scroll down.  You get a dose of it every day in the news.   Video number one helps dispute that there’s an algorithm fairy for the perfect butt, a friendship algorithm, etc.  If you are on the web enough, there’s plenty of material that debunks and laughs at the thought of someone even thinking they could create them:)   I like part when Charlie on the clinical trial data tells us the the information was no good as “the fish was dead”.  Learn up if you have the time.  Here’s the video from MSNBC and it is a little lengthy and he could have cut off a few minutes of this but you get the point…..DIGITIAL ILLITERCAY AND ALGO DUPING DELUXE. 

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It is any wonder that the Sunshine Foundation says we should restore the Office of Technology Assessment, they need brain help.  This goes for both sides too as we have the other party looking for “Algorithm Fairies” too, thinking that a formula will fix all evils too. We need cabinet heads that have a little tech in their background.  I think the biggest problem is the perception that permeates in DC with what I see as “its for those guys over there” pass those laws, “for those guys over there’.  Sometimes you see that in software development too with developers that don’t even touch their own consumer software they write, just in it for the money. Part of that too goes back to the Aneesh Chopra days with way too many talks about “write code and get rich” and at the time he was good cheerleader but the need changed and we have a better US CIO with some real tech knowledge now in place and boy does he have a big job to do as well.  Watch the video below in just reading this blog post, don’t there’s some truth to Congress needing a bigger brain? 

Congress Needs a Bigger Brain–Restore the Office of Technology Assessment And Truly Assess What is Useful And Remove The Algo Duping Permeating In Government–Fantasy Perceptions That Are Not Real Can Be A Dangerous Thing

Why do we like and need satire?  Well (grin) sometimes they get it right and they are not even trying.  Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert have a no ending supply of material when foot in mouth appears and again most of it is education related with technology that is lacking somewhere along the line.  The Onion got this one right, (link below) the CIA is using Facebook and maybe this is what happened when the McConnell letter went out, the young staff member thought that that there’s more truth with satire today:)

When Satire Becomes Reality–CIA Admits to Full Monitoring of Facebook and Social Networks Just As the Onion Satirically Published Last Year..Not A Joke Any Longer It Appears With Privacy

Ok now that we know digital illiteracy is alive and well and permeates the news media so let’s take a serious look at what happens…this allows consumers to get hurt because corporate USA uses items as such and creates models, formulas, etc. that take data out of context to make money.  I’ve written about that for quite a while now and will provide a link below to where you can see a business discussion about “value” in the analytics being thrown out there today.  Don’t get sucked in if it doesn’t sound right, ask questions.  This may be a little technical but you can get something out out it for sure..it’s the math and models folks so listen up here if you can, the OMG soap operas aren’t getting you anywhere other than being entertained and frustrated. 

Big Data/Analytics If Used Out of Context and Without True Values Stand To Be A Huge Discriminatory Practice Against Consumers–More Honest Data Scientists Needed to Formulate Accuracy/Value To Keep Algo Duping For Profit Out of the Game

Ok so what’s next on the digital illiteracy list to appear in the news?  Will they read up?  Who knows.  This week we have yet another issue with digital illiteracy making news…the next governor vying for “Governor Ultrasound” recognition.  It’s digital illiteracy breaking out at the seems as we wouldn’t see stuff like this if they were not lost in the world of technology.  It gives MSNBC a ton of material to work with as well.  Don’t these guys ever think about how the “educated” world sees them? 

Mike Pence of Indiana Wants to Be Governor “Ultra-Sound Number Two”– Wants 2 Ultra-Sounds, Before and After the Taking Abortion Pill…Digital Illiteracy Keeps Enacting Vaginal Legislative Discussions

Everyone complains about MSNBC at times with their coverage but why don’t these lawmakers and their staff smarten up and quit giving them such “rich” material as they share it with all of use and we laugh our fannies off at one point and at the other side we get angry in seeing the ineptness of what and who elected sadly.  I try to again help educate as when this is all that permeates the news with soap operas and OMG stories and it allows big smart corporations to continue controlling most of the money in the US as all this runs on servers 24/7 with models and code written while we get left with this crap.  BD