ABC offers a clip of witty moments from the Elena Kagan hearings

Some Thoughts On Foursquare

clipped from www.avc.com Our portfolio company Foursquare closed a second round of financing yesterday. This was a much covered financing process and also much criticized. I think it makes an excellent case to talk about some conventional notions and why they might not be right. Back in the early spring Foursquare decided that it needed to raise more money to support its growth, both service growth/scaling and team growth. Foursquare identified about a half dozen venture firms that it thought would be ideal investors and opened discussions with them. A few backed out of the process because they had investments in competing businesses. But all of the other firms were eager to make an investment. The Company could have closed a financing at a very attractive valuation in two or three weeks if they had chosen to.

U.S. Scores Dead Last Again in Healthcare Study

Well at least it is better then our rank in education world wide.

clipped from www.alzheimersreadingroom.com Americans spend twice as much as residents of other developed countries on healthcare, but get lower quality, less efficiency and have the least equitable system, according to a report released on Wednesday..... The United States ranked last when compared to six other countries -- Britain, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand, the Commonwealth Fund report found.

30-Year Conventional Mortgage Rate (Chart)

clipped from allamericaninvestor.blogspot.com 30-Year Conventional Mortgage Rate (Chart)

Robert Shiller Says the Depression Scare is Back

FYI

clipped from allamericaninvestor.blogspot.com

Disease and Patient-Level Statistics with Wolfram|Alpha

Good source of information.

clipped from blog.wolframalpha.com How many people are diagnosed with diabetes in a given year? Is hypertension more common in men than in women? What drugs are most commonly prescribed for anemia? In order to address questions like these and many more, Wolfram|Alpha has now assimilated data from two different surveys conducted by the CDC: the national ambulatory medical care survey (NAMCS) and its hospital-focused counterpart, the national hospital ambulatory medical care survey (NHAMCS). Together, these surveys provide information on common reasons why people visit the doctor’s office, drug treatments that are highly correlated with a particular disease, and which diseases are most commonly diagnosed within specific races, ethnicities, and genders.

Increased Bicycle Riding and Brisk Walking Associated With Less Weight Gain in Women

Good for sharing.

clipped from www.alzheimersreadingroom.com Bicycling and brisk walking are associated with less weight gain among pre-menopausal women, especially those who are overweight and obese, according to a report in the June 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. Additionally, the report finds that slower walking does not appear to offer the same benefits as brisk walking.

Supreme Court says "right to keep and bear arms'' applies nationwide

clipped from www.cbsnews.com (CBS/AP)  The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Constitution's "right to keep and bear arms" applies nationwide as a restraint on the ability of the federal, state and local governments to substantially limit its reach. In doing so, the justices, by a narrow 5-4 margin, signaled that less severe restrictions could survive legal challenges. The court's conservative wing - led by Justices Samuel Alito, John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, and Antonin Scalia - prevailed in the case.

Rumor: Google to Take On Facebook With “Google Me”

via Louis Gray

clipped from techmiso.com The internets is abuzz this morning after Kevin Rose dropped a potential bombshell rumor on twitter. According to Rose, Google is positioned to enter the social networking space very soon to compete against Facebook with a new service potentially called “Google Me.”

Lawmakers Propose Banning the Mass. Physician Gift Ban

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clipped from blogs.wsj.com A Massachusetts law banning pharma and medical device companies from giving most gifts to doctors went into effect only a year ago. But a proposal from the speaker of the House of Representatives would rescind the ban due to its purported ill effects on the state’s economy, the Boston Herald reports. The law doesn’t ban all industry-purchased meals, but limits them to a hospital setting. It bans gifts of trinkets such as pens and requires that all payments of $50 or more for things including consulting and speaking be disclosed. Maheras says even inexpensive goodies can influence physicians’ decisions and “set up a relationship of reciprocity.” Some big institutions — including Johns Hopkins and Harvard-affiliated hospitals — have either restricted or increased disclosure of their doctors’ ties to industry. And companies themselves, including Medtronic, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Merck and GlaxoSmithKline have also initiated programs to disclose payments over a certain amount to physicians.

Hardware expert explains iPhone 4 antenna problem - Computerworld

Apple acknowledges reception issue, tells users to grip the new iPhone 4 differently

clipped from www.computerworld.com Reports of call and data signal strength problems in the new iPhone 4 have a basis in fact, a hardware expert said Thursday. Apple later acknowledged the issue.

S and P 500 Not Oversold (Chart)

clipped from allamericaninvestor.blogspot.com The chart below is of the S&P 500. From this view the market is not oversold. The blue area on the chart is +2 and -2 standard deviation above and below the line. As you can see, beginning in February the market formed a beautiful uptrend. The rally was very orderly as the market never became overbought.

Original content Bob DeMarco, All American Investor

Google Chrome Now Comes With Flash Built In

via Louis Gray Google Buzz

clipped from techcrunch.com Last March, Adobe and Google jointly announced that Flash Player would soon come built in to the latter's Chrome browser, eliminating the need for users to download, install and update it separately. On Thursday evening, Google released Chrome 5.0.375.86 to the Stable channel on Linux, Mac, and Windows, with a fix for a number of security issues. More importantly, the integrated Flash Player has now been enabled by default.

What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s and Dementia?

This is one of the best written articles on this topic I have ever read. Must reading.

clipped from www.alzheimersreadingroom.com What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s and Dementia? In a nutshell, dementia is a symptom, and AD is the cause of the symptom. When someone is told they have dementia, it means that they have significant memory problems as well as other cognitive difficulties, and that these problems are severe enough to get in the way of daily living.....

Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Will Palin Be Hit with Another Abuse of Power Finding in Alaska?

clipped from www.huffingtonpost.com Sarah Palin's erstwhile attorney Thomas Van Flein issued another of his bizarre missives on Palin's Facebook page yesterday in what appeared to be a strange portent of a forthcoming legal ruling ready to crash down on Palin.

New Data Show Bicycling and Walking Up by 25 Percent

clipped from www.dot.gov New Data Show Bicycling and Walking Up by 25 Percent The U.S. Department of Transportation today released new data from the Federal Highway Administration’s 2009 National Household Travel Survey which shows that both bicycling and walking trips have increased by 25 percent since 2001.  The FHWA funded Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center included this data in The National Bicycling and Walking Study: A 15-Year Status Report.  The report details trends and changes in bicycling and walking since 1994. “This report demonstrates what we’ve been saying here at the Department,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.   “Americans want and need safe alternatives to driving. And by making biking and walking safer and more accessible, we’ll be able to provide Americans with more choices and help foster more active, livable communities.”

Halfway Back to Lehman: New Report Shows Financial Conditions Tightening Sharply

Be careful.

clipped from blogs.wsj.com The Federal Reserve said today that financial conditions had weakened recently because of market turmoil abroad, meaning Europe. A  new report suggests they’ve been worsening for some time and are now about as bad as they’ve been since late 2008, when the financial crisis was raging. “Financial conditions appear to have worsened substantially in recent quarters based on our update of the broad index of US financial variables presented earlier this year at the US Monetary Policy Forum,” economists at Deutsche Bank said in a note to clients.

Google’s Android: 160,000 Devices a Day

Wo.

clipped from blogs.wsj.com One of the most surprising bits of news to emerge from the Motorola Droid X launch was the announcement that 160,000 new devices running on Google’s Android software are going into service every day. That figure, revealed by Google executive Andy Rubin, is up from the 100,000 activations a day Google claimed in mid-May and well beyond the 97,222 iPhones Apple sold on average every day in the first quarter.

2 Men Agreed to Shoot Each Other in the Butt, Need Surgery

Dumb and Dumber?

clipped from www.foxnews.com Two Australian men required surgery Tuesday after shooting each other in the buttocks as part of a drunken pact to see if it would hurt. The two friends, both 34, from the Grampians region in Victoria, Australia, decided to undertake the experiment after enjoying a few beers on Sunday evening, Victoria Police said in a statement. The pair thought it would be interesting to see whether it hurt to get shot with an air rifle and whether its pellets would penetrate their skin. After shooting each other around 5:30 pm local time Sunday, they concluded that they were both fine, apart from suffering from a bit of pain. However, two days later, they were both in the hospital for surgery to remove slug pellets from their buttocks and legs. Police said one of the men will have his firearms license withdrawn and his firearms confiscated.

Whooping Cough Epidemic in California Kills 5 Babies

clipped from www.foxnews.com State health officials say whooping cough is now an epidemic in California and is on pace to break a 50-year record for infections and deaths for the year. As of June 15, California had 910 recorded cases of the highly contagious disease, and five babies — all under 3 months of age — have died from the disease this year. California Department of Public Health director Dr. Mark Horton said today that children should be vaccinated against the disease and parents, caregivers and infants need a booster shot. A typical case of the disease, formally called pertussis, starts with a cough and runny nose for one to two weeks, followed by weeks to months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a whooping sound. Fever is rare.

Resveratrol a Compound Found In Red Wine Neutralizes Toxicity Of Proteins Related To Alzheimer's

clipped from www.alzheimersreadingroom.com An organic compound found in red wine — resveratrol — has the ability to neutralize the toxic effects of proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to research led by Rensselaer Professor Peter M. Tessier. The findings, published in the May 28 edition of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, are a step toward understanding the large-scale death of brain cells seen in certain neurodegenerative diseases.....

Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room

U.S. Scores Dead Last Again in Healthcare Study

clipped from www.alzheimersreadingroom.com Americans spend twice as much as residents of other developed countries on healthcare, but get lower quality, less efficiency and have the least equitable system, according to a report released on Wednesday.....

60 Minutes A Blow To The Brain -- This is Your Brain on Football (Video and Text)

clipped from www.alzheimersreadingroom.com 60 Minutes A Blow To The Brain -- This is Your Brain on Football (Video and Text) In that research study researchers found that 6.1 percent of players age 50 and above reported that they had received a dementia-related diagnosis, five times higher than the national average, 1.2 percent.

Video: Gulf oil spill threatens entire food chain

Dotty Says, Most Doctors are Quacks

clipped from dorothydemarco.blogspot.com Bobby says, I am a lovable character. I also heard him say that I am a "bitch". I have to admit I don't remember him saying that in a long time. Bobby is always taking me to the doctor. I don't want to go to the doctor -- ever. Most doctors are "quacks". All they really want is your money. I have to admit when Bobby takes me to the doctor we always get our monies worth. He has this damn book and he opens it up and starts going down the list - one by one.