Did You Hear About This in the News?

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Someone forgot to tell us the news we can use

I'm a curious sort so I try to understand the world view on America by following news sources from around the world.  It has always fascinated me how the American, and the television network and cable news stations in particular, seem to filter what we need to know.

So I check out the BBC in the UK and other sources in France, Germany, Russia, China, Japan, Mexico and South America every day.  Many international events are not even reported on American television.  In fact, a lot of American events are not reported on American television.

It makes one wonder.  Why are stories important to the world considered not important to our own television network and cable news shows?  Isn't that what they are supposed to do?

Take a look at some of the following stories that can be found around the world.  Don't you think it would be important to know about them?  Don't you think they have an impact on America?

Europe freezes: Death toll over 600; 140,000 people trapped by snow

Today Europe faces a tremendous tragedy from a brutal winter as the death toll from the European deep freeze has killed 600 people and 140,000 more are isolated from help by the record snow and cold pounding the continent.  Snow drifts reaching rooftops have trapped tens of thousands of villagers from the UK to Russia.

More than 47,000 Mexicans Killed in USA Border Drug War

Mexico has made a concerted effort to take down top leaders of criminal organizations, saying 22 of the 37 most important kingpins have been captured or killed since 2009.

American officials have said President Felipe Calderón has pressed for more high-profile captures, even as a growing body of analysts suggest that the country needs to focus more on shoring up its justice system to weaken the groups.

The public has grown increasingly wary of the drug war here, which the government said last month had led to the deaths of more than 47,000 people since 2006, when Mr. Calderón began an offensive against the gangs as violence increased.

America's Legal Drug Addiction

Prescription drug abuse has become a major problem in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 100 people die from drug overdoses everyday in the US; and nearly 3 of 4 drug overdoses are caused by prescription painkillers.

In other words, legally prescribed drug abuse results in 27,375 deaths a year, while illegal drug abuse results in just 9,125 deaths a year.  Think about it.  Three times as many people are killed by doctors as all the illegal drug dealers combined.

Deaths from Hospital Medical Errors Near 200,000 a year in USA

Preventable medical mistakes and infections are responsible for about 200,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to an investigation by the Hearst media corporation.

In a separate article by Dr. Gary Null, (archived at government statistics were gathered to present an overall picture of the extent of death-by-the medical-system serving the United States.

Here is a summary of the data supporting Dr. Null’s conclusion that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the United States resulting in at least 783,136 dead.

The medical system mortalities break down this way: adverse drug reactions: 106,000; medical error: 98,000; bedsores: 115,000; infection: 88,000; malnutrition: 108,000; outpatients: 199,000; unnecessary procedures: 37,136; and surgery-related: 32,000.

As Dr. Null explains, these are conservative estimates that do not attempt to overcome the considerable limitations of self-reporting regarding error and negligence.

Dr. Null's report is at:
http://www.mercola.com/2004/jul/7/healthcare_death.htm

Are Medical Mistakes Counted in "Leading Cause of Death Records in USA?

Leading Causes of Death

(Data are for the U.S. and are final 2009 data; For the most recent preliminary data see Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2010 [PDF - 724 KB])

Number of deaths for leading causes of death

·         Heart disease: 599,413

·         Cancer: 567,628

·         Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 137,353

·         Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 128,842

·         Accidents (unintentional injuries): 118,021

·         Alzheimer's disease: 79,003

·         Diabetes: 68,705

·         Influenza and Pneumonia: 53,692

·         Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 48,935

Posted by the US Center for Disease Control

Editors Note:

Do you see a category for any of the Medical Mistakes that cause deaths?  Neither the Hearst investigation nor the study by Dr. Gary Null which indicates there are nearly 800,000 deaths a year from Medical Mistakes are reflected in the CDC report.

Why are we not being told what is going on in America?

When considering these stories and the death totals note that the In Hospital Medical Error deaths (200,000) would rank it as the 3rd highest cause of death in America while the Medical Mistakes deaths (800,000) would make it the number one cause of death in America.

Is there a financial incentive for news media to NOT report the news?  Stay tuned for further updates.

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Chinese Dominate American Politics, Sports and Dog Shows

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The Year of the Dragon 2012

What a month for the Chinese in America starting with the Chinese New Year on January 23, 2012 celebrating the Year of the Dragon.

Think about the dragon!

In Chinese astrology the dragon is the only animal of the Chinese zodiac year that is not real.

In Chinese astrology the dragon is quite special and very much revered.

The dragon holds special significance for the Chinese people.

More than 4,000 years ago, there were two large tribes and many smaller tribes in China. The tribes had animals as emblems. The two large tribes unified and chose the dragon as their symbol. In fact, the Han Chinese still call themselves the descendants of the Dragon.

In Chinese astrology the dragon was seen as a powerful almighty king because it was made up of different parts of animals such as a tiger, fish, snake and an eagle.

The Chinese dragon was not seen as a threatening evil being as we do in the west - rather a symbol of power, superiority and rule.

Still today, the Dragon is a revered symbol. You can see many sculptures and carvings of the dragon. Even today, the Chinese associate the dragon with power and wisdom.

In Chinese astrology a dragon person is special. Born in the Chinese Year of the Dragon they usually stand out as befits a dragon. They are powerful and wise.

Future Leader of China Visits America

China's leader-in-waiting, Vice President Xi Jinping, met with President Barack Obama Tuesday on the first day of his week in the USA with stops scheduled in Iowaand Los Angeles.

The 58-year-old is expected to succeed China's President Hu Jintao, who must retire as head of the Communist Party later this year and from the presidency in 2013.

He becomes the highest ranking Chinese official to visit the USAsince 2002 and he noted that 40 years ago it was President Richard Nixon who was the first American leader to visit China and open the door to future cooperation.

Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China in 1972 opened diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Chinese American Jeremy Lin and Linsanity

TORONTO (AP)—Even after his amazing week, this one took Linsanity to a whole new level. Against Toronto on Tuesday, it was Lin for the win!

New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with less than a second to play to cap his finishing flurry of six straight points and New York rallied to beat the Raptors 90-87, extending its winning streak to six games.

“I’m just glad it went like this so we can calm the Linsanity down,”cracked Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni.

No chance of that. The NBA’s first American-Taiwanese player, Lin scored 27 points and added a career-high 11 assists in his first game since being named Eastern Conference player of the week.

Pekingese Struts Away with Westminster Dog Show Championship

A Pennsylvania dog has claimed top honors at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.  Malachy, a Pekingese won Best in Show tonight at the 136th New York show, beating seven other group winners.  The victory was his 115th overall best in show title.

The Pekingese is a well-balanced, compact dog of Chinese origin.

Chinese art throughout the ages, starting with the Tang dynasty of the 8th century, abounds with images of the Pekingese, who gets his name from the ancient city of Peking, now called Beijing.

Pekingese were held sacred in ancient China and could only be owned by royalty. At that time, the punishment for stealing a Pekingese was death. Pekingese came to Europe as a result of war. When the British overtook the Chinese Imperial Palace in 1860, they returned home with several of the dogs.
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Obamaville, February 14 - Obamanomics Center of Budget Debate

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 The Wizard of Washington on Economics

This week President Obama unveiled a record $3.8 trillion budget, promising $4 trillion in deficit savings the next ten years while sticking it to the rich.  Of course most of the cuts are from mandatory budget cuts resulting from the inaction of Obama and Congress on reaching any agreement on the budget.  Other cuts came from ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Didn't stop the administration from taking credit for it.

Obamanomics did not include anything new to cut federal spending, fix Social Security, make Medicare sound, reduce the national debt, lower health care costs or most other things he, the GOP and Democrats promised.  Imagine that, broken promises from politicians.

One wonders if the fact he dumped his entire economic team that guided him through the first three years had anything to do with the lack of details and failure to address national priorities.

Congress and the White House will now spend the rest of the election year blaming each other or the political parties for all their failures that have been and are yet to come even though no one has done anything to find solutions.

The failure to address long term debt and deficit issues is turning their back on all of our youth because the systems will be broke long before today's youth have finished paying their fair share.

Sometimes it seems as if the only solution to our problems, which are caused by political expediency, greed, waste and abuse, would be to throw them all out of office.  It might make things interesting if Washington, D.C. was filled with new faces.

We already know how to survive an inexperienced president and no one seems to know what Congress is even doing.  Perhaps it would be wise for Congress to just take a vacation for the year thus ending the name calling and back stabbing so much a part of our political process.

One thing no one wants to discuss is why are we trying to raise billions of dollars in taxes on anyone when we are already wasting billions of dollars on everyone.

When nothing is getting done what have we got to lose?

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Dolly Parton and the Angel of Newark Whitney Houston

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CNewsoxy

By: John Lester

Dolly Parton, who wrote Whitney Houston’s biggest hit, “I will always love you,” has spoken about the legendary pop singer’s reported alleged drug and alcohol overdose.

When Jennifer Hudson sang the song during the 2012 Grammy Awards on Sunday night, Dolly Parton says she was brought to tears. It was a surreal feeling for the fans because Hudson put all of her heart & soul into the performance. It is one performance that will be remembered for a long time to come.

“I was brought to tears again last night, as I’m sure many were, when Jennifer Hudson sang ‘I Will Always Love You’ on the Grammys in memory of Whitney. Like everybody else, I am still in shock. But I know that Whitney will live forever in all the great music that she left behind. I will always have a very special piece of her in the song we shared together and had the good fortune to share with the world. Rest in peace, Whitney. Again, we will always love you.”

Parton had shared a similar sentiment on her website Saturday, just after learning of the star’s death, again alluding to the fitting title of their shared song.

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Kentucky Wildcats 25-1 and Still Number One!

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College Basketball Week 15: Kentucky Stays Runaway No. 1 In AP Top 25

Is this the year Kentucky finally wins the National Champioship again? After taking three diffeent teams to the final four will Coach John Calipari finally get his national championship and ticket to the Hall of Fame? The master of coaching the kiddie corp, Kentucky is of course dominated by freshmen, is dominating the polls and opponents as the last few games are played before March Madness begins.

What is it about the Kentucky basketball mystique?

Kentucky basketball history is a glorious thing. And, new coach John Calipari is leading the Cats back to college basketball heaven.

Widely considered to be the best men’s basketball program in the Southeastern Conference, the University of Kentucky Wildcats are in fact also ranked among the elite programs across the nation. Among all NCAA men’s basketball programs, Kentucky ranks #1 all-time with 1,948 career victories (the University of North Carolina is second, with 1,914 career victories). With an all-time record of 1948-608, Kentucky is also #1 all-time in winning percentage, at .762.

The University of Kentucky’s basketball program came into existence in 1910, when E. R. Sweetland signed on as UK’s Director of Athletics and its first basketball coach. And while UK tasted its first championship of any kind in 1921, when it upset Tulane, Mercer, Mississippi A & M, and Georgia to win the first Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association basketball championship, it wasn’t until the hiring of Adolph Rupp, regarded by many as one of the greatest collegiate basketball coaches of all time, [see Top All-Time SEC Basketball Coach] that UK was elevated to a national level of prominence.

The University of Kentucky has won 7 National Championships in Men’s Basketball. The first four, in 1948, 1949, 1951, and 1958, came under the coaching of Rupp. The remaining championships came in 1978, 1996, and most recently, in 1998. That team, coached by Tubby Smith, earned he nickname the “Comeback Cats”, due primarily to their penchant for falling into deep deficits early in games only to rally late, including overcoming double-digit 2nd half deficits in comeback victories in each of the final 3 games of the 1998 NCAA Tournament.

The 1996 Championship team, coached by Rick Pitino, is widely considered to be among the greatest Men’s Basketball teams of all time. See Best All-Time SEC Basketball Team.

That team, which became the first team in 40 years to complete SEC conference play undefeated, went 34-2 en route to its victory over Syracuse in the NCAA Championship game. Kentucky's 1996 basketball team, rated as the best of all time by statistical guru Jeff Sagarin, featured nine future NBA players.

Many former Wildcats have gone on to find success in the NBA. In fact, from 1949-2006, UK ranks sixth nationally with 34 players selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. Among the former UK stars that went on to NBA success are players such as Dan Issel, Jamal Mashburn, Cliff Hagan, Pat Riley, Rex Chapman, and Frank Ramsey.

How big is Kentucky basketball?

By Ron Higgins on February 13, 2012 11:20 AM

So if you're John Calipari and your No. 1 nationally ranked Kentucky team doesn't have a game on Wednesday, what do you do?

You hold a practice, plan to open it to the public and maybe televise it.

"There are a lot of people, fans and students, who never get a chance to see us play," said Calipari during today's SEC teleconference. "They never get a chance to feel that experience."

So Calipari is in the process of trying to figure out where he wants to practice, depending how many people show up.

"If we get 4,000 to 8,000 fans, we'll probably do it in Memorial Coliseum," Calipari said. "If it's 20,000 fans, then Rupp Arena."

What about using Commonwealth Stadium?

"I woke up this morning and it was a little frosty," Calipari said with a laugh.

Kentucky is still unbeaten in league play and doesn't play until Saturday when the Wildcats are home against Ole Miss. Calipari said he's not thinking about winning the league regular season championship with a perfect 18-0 record.

"We're not talking in those terms," Calipari said. "It might happen, it might not happen. I'm just worried about improving and I see that we are. But we have a lot of hard games left. It's not about running the table. It's about putting ourselves in the best possible position at the end of the year.

"I thought our team last year was the best in the country at the end of the year. But that team lost six games on the road in the SEC. It helped us get where we were at the end of the year."

The Basketbowl - Michigan State versus Kentucky
The Basketbowl, between Michigan State and Kentucky, was the most attended basketball game in history. It occurred on December 13, 2003 at Ford Field in Detroit, setting an attendance record of 78,129. The previous record of 75,000 was held by the Harlem Globetrotters during their exhibition game at Berlin, Germany's Olympic Stadium.

Kentucky won the game 79–74. The NCAA was impressed with the massive size of the crowd that they decided in 2008 to expand the seating capacity for the Men's Division I Basketball Championship to a minimum of 70,000 starting with the 2009 Final Four, which would be held in that stadium.

Keep in mind, folks, this was a regular season game.

UK Cheerleaders are National Champions as well

The University of Kentucky climbed back atop the cheerleading world’s pyramid on January 15, 2012, at the Universal Cheerleading Association’s (UCA) College Cheerleading National Championships. Kentucky, competing in the UCA’s Coed IA division beat out 19 other squads from across the nation to win its record 19th national title. Last year’s Division IA champion, Alabama, finished second. The University of Central Florida, the only other squad to topple Kentucky in the past 10 years, finished third.

Thoughts about UK Basketball

"I just thought it was the Kentucky fans coming in." - Coach Billy Gillispie in Atlanta after a tornado slams into the Georgia Dome.

"Really, UCLA's a great place as well, but they don't have the kind of environment they have here. The fans here have a passion." - Dick Vitale on Kentucky fans, December 23, 1999.

"He's got the puppies set off the bus." - Bill Raftery talking about Tayshaun Prince hitting his fifth straight three-point shot from U.

"Apparently the University of Kentucky basketball dynasty is to continue forever." - Philadelphia Inquirer, December 23 1954.

"Turner ... Burner .... and one" - Jim Nantz

"Kentucky has found the secret of basketball, that it's five guys playing together." - former University North Carolina coach Frank McGuire

"I see no reason to end the basketball season in February just so some of these schools can start spring football practice early... Someday they are going to wake up and realize that basketball is here to stay." - Adolph Rupp on his Southeastern Conference brethren in 1934.

"I'd just as soon freeze to death." - Actress Ashley Judd relating a story of being offered a University North Carolina - Chapel Hill jacket on a chilly movie set. - Lexington Herald Leader, August 15, 1996.

"It's not wise to come to Kentucky and try to run them off their court. Not too many teams have ever done that." - Mississippi State Coach Babe McCarthy in 1962.

"When you see Kentucky's fans, you just wonder. You think how wonderful it would be to go to their school. You wish you could trade places for a day, just so you could experience that feeling." - UCLA player Kris Johnson

"In the next four or five years, Kentucky will be at its best. It has taken a lot of hard labor, but down the road we will be at our best." - Rick Pitino in 1995

"They had it before you, they had it during you, they'll have it when you're gone"...." - Al McGuire on Kentucky Basketball Tradition

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A Valentine's Day Message of Hope, Peace and Love

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Happy Valentine's Day

Bonne Saint Valentin

Feliz Día de los Enamorados

Buon San Valentino

Alles Liebe zum Valentinstag!

ハッピー バレンタイン

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Grammy Awards - A Night with the Stars

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Tinsel town really is into award shows and the 2012 Grammy Show was no exception.  The untimely death of Whitney Houston on the eve of the Grammy Show certainly gave the show more interest and hype along with the production difficulty of last minute changes to a very extensive production.

The awards themselves had few surprises led by Adele, the 23-year-old British soul phenom who swept all six categories she was nominated for, including album of the year for her sophomore smash “21.

The worst performance of the night, and there were several, came from the train wreck that was Nicki Minaj.  Nicki was attempting to do a Lady Gaga inspired performance but it was little more than poor taste, art at its most twisted and misguided.  From her parody of "The Exorcist" to a weird hip-hop take on "O Come, All Ye Faithful", her performance led the worst of the worst.

Adele provided the soul of the show.  For those of you not familiar with her, she is the sassy Brit who was first discovered on MySpace when a friend posted a demo of her performing.  At the 2009 Grammy Awards, Adele received the awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Last night she added six more Grammy awards to her collection sweeping album and song of the year.  Her gutsy performance was a result of the loss of her voice last year, cancelling of her world tour, and laser surgery on her throat.  This was her comeback performance and she brought the house down.

One of few superstars who is a bit over weight in appearance, a bit cockney in her English accent, a bit salty with her language, and a bit frumpy with her image, she is a refreshing change from the studio manufactured cute, skinny, sexy, mindless personas one expects.

For someone of my generation it was seemingly surreal when the line up of performers included Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, the Beach Boys and Glen Campbell among other blasts from the past.  The fact they still dominate shows after all these years shows their staying power, and maybe the sorry state of song writing currently dragging down the industry.

Whenever there is a drop in music sales it is always blamed on the economy or pirates when it should be blamed on the lack of quality songs, lack of new artists that can sing, and lack of new songs that are written well meaning they actually tell a story.  The vast majority of performances last night had endless repetition, minimum lyrics, and less than stellar performances.

The few references to Whitney Houston and ballet sung by Jennifer Hudson were in quite good taste but there was an underlying tragic nature underpinning the show.  You had a tribute to Glen Campbell because he has Alzheimer disease.  A tribute to the Beach Boys whose Brian Wilson is another brilliant mind shattered by the reality of the music business.

Then there was the tribute to Adela who is coming back from throat surgery caused by her record label sending her on the road doing 200 shows a year.  It seems many of the new artists are treated like commodities and pushed until they break down.

Taylor Swift - Country Super Star

Finally there was the tribute to Whitney.  More than anything Whitney represents the real failure of the music industry to protect those who have so much to offer.  Ever since her descent into the dark side with Bobby Brown who took her from the light in the church choir to the darkness in the urban underworld of drugs and alcohol, she has been abandoned by many in the music industry.

Her death is a testament to the indifference often seen as we watch stars disintegrate in the tabloids.  Where was all the love shown last night when Whitney was alive and needed help?  No, there is something very hypocritical about the music industry and the way it can ignore those who helped bring the industry it's popularity, success, and yes, bottom line profit.

If you really care about your artists then save them when they are alive, don't just honor them when they are dead.

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Chinese American Electrifies New York Knicks in NBA

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Jeremy Shu-How Lin

Jeremy Shu-How Lin (traditional Chinese: 林書豪; simplified Chinese: 林书豪; pinyin: Lín Shūháo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lîm Su-hô; born August 23, 1988) is an American professional basketball player with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After receiving no athletic scholarship offers out of high school and being undrafted out of college, the Harvard University graduate reached a partially guaranteed contract deal with his hometown Golden State Warriors. Lin is one of the few Asian Americans in NBA history, and the first American player in the league to be of Chinese or Taiwanese descent.

On February 4, 2012, Lin had 25 points, five rebounds, and seven assists—all career-highs—in a 99–92 Knicks victory over the New Jersey Nets. After the game, Knick coach Mike D'Antoni said Lin has a point-guard mentality and "a rhyme and a reason for what he is doing out there." In the subsequent game against the Utah Jazz, Lin made his first career start. He had 28 points and eight assists. In a game against the Washington Wizards, Lin had 23 points and career-high 10 assists. It was his first double-double. On February 10, 2012, Lin scored a new career-high 38 points and had seven assists, leading the Knicks in their victory over the Los Angeles Lakers with a score of 92–85.

On February 11, Lin scored 20 points and had 8 assists in a narrow 100-98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. This win extended the Knick's win streak to 5 games, and at 13-15, put the team into contention for the 8th playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Lin scored 109 points in his first four career starts, the most by any player since the merger between the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the NBA in 1976–77. The Associated Press called Lin "the most surprising story in the NBA." Bloomberg News wrote that Lin "has already become the most famous [Asian American NBA player]." Knicks fans developed nicknames for him along with a new lexicon inspired by his name, Lin. Time.com ran an article titled, "It's Official: Linsanity Is for Real". Hall of Fame player Magic Johnson said, "The excitement [Lin] has caused in [Madison Square] Garden, man, I hadn't seen that in a long time."

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