Monday, February 06, 2017

I am not that good at being a spy or informant, but, I am going to give this a go.

































This is a letter that came to a Medicare/Medicaid recipient. The recipient received three such letters each with a different "Application ID." The recipient has never applied to "Healthcare.gov" that the person remembers. 

There are three pages of which I will attempt to post here. It refers to an amount of money available for purchasing insurance. I think this is the precursor to providing vouchers to Medicare and Medicaid recipients. There is also a chance this will increase the cost of health care if this is more of the same seen in California where insurance was purchased for Medicaid recipients by their providers.

There is even a better chance I am dead wrong about everything, but, the recipient told me they have never received such a letter before.



































I am also not very good at redacting, but, I think folks will get the message. It scared the recipient because the person did not understand any of it. I promised to put it here.


































What followed are two additional pages with what I assume is a similar message in nearly every language on the planet.

Good luck.

PS: The recipient has no intention of completing any of the Marketplace online applications. To begin the person received three separate and identical letters with three different numbers. The recipient is scared to try anything as it might upset the apple cart and everything will go to hell.

The other possibility is that this is Obamacare and ANYTHING that upsets and enrages the public is bad PR for the ACA. Never know what is coming next these days. That in and of itself is enough to rattle confidence in any form of government.

This recipient is an older American and it actually is a form of harassment and abuse.

And.

Having never applied to Healthcare.gov makes a person wonder how the information got there and what breach of confidentiality. 

When the Ninth Circuit Court hears the case will someone bring out the FACTS and...

...and the fact President Trump is a habitual liar. Either it is pathological or simply a misdemeanor of some kind or another. An elected official that high in government authority has to be called on the carpet for lies that incite hate and violence. There has to be a law somewhere that provides for domestic peace with acceptance of diversity.

February 6, 2017
By Haeyoun Park, Karen Yourish and Gardiner Harris

President Trump and his aides (click here) have repeatedly suggested that the executive order temporarily barring refugees and blocking citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States is an outgrowth of Obama administration policy.

MR. TRUMP’S STATEMENT ON FACEBOOK, JAN. 29

“The seven countries named in the
Executive Order are the same countries
previously identified by the Obama
administration as sources of terror.”

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED

The seven countries were largely
chosen by the Republican-led Congress.

After the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., at the end of 2015, Congress passed legislation requiring that all people with passports from IranIraqSyria or Sudan apply for visas to enter the United States....

The reports of violence in the USA is escalating since Mr. Trump's nomination and then the election and this hideous ban was signed into law. This isn't the only article, study or report about the ever increasing violence in the USA.

September 22, 2016
By Clare Foran

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton (click here) tell very different stories about who belongs in America and who doesn’t. Trump describes a country under siege from refugees and immigrants, Mexicans, and Muslims. Clinton talks about a nation made stronger by diversity. The narrative each campaign creates matters. It may even influence the way Americans treat their fellow citizens.

new report from California State University-San Bernardino’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism suggests that political rhetoric may play a role in mitigating or fueling hate crimes. The report shows that anti-Muslim hate crimes in the U.S. rose sharply in 2015 to the highest levels since the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. It also suggests that Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric could have contributed to this backlash against American Muslims....

Kenya is banning the removal of snakes. Some of it is poaching.

Poachers have made such an impact it is becoming impossible to share endangered species with zoos as well.

I would expect the USA to bring about justice to the practice of poaching and reach out to Kenya for any suggestions it may have to assist them in curbing the practice of removing their nature snakes from the country.

February 7, 2017
By Collins Omulo

...The ban, (click here) which also includes licences issued for scientific research and venom extraction abroad, commenced at the beginning of this month.

Kenya Wildlife Service spokesman Paul Gathitu said that zoos and pet shops in the UK, Czech Republic, Germany, US, Mexico, Brazil and China are the biggest market for the snakes where they fetch between Sh10,000 ($100) and Sh20,000 ($200), depending on the type of snake.

“We have intercepted several python skins at the airport and made several arrests in the last week. It is much easier to smuggle the young ones as they are not easily detected by machines.

"They are then bred overseas in zoos and pet shops until they are of adult size,” said Mr Gathitu.

According to Dr Patrick Malonza, a senior research scientist in charge of herpetology at the National Museums of Kenya, the trade and trafficking of the endangered species, including the African rock python, poses a negative impact on the environment....

The Obama administration had a very healthy relationship with ALL the stakeholders of APHIS.

APHIS is a vital program of the USDA that helps prevent such things as invasive species. We all remember the Mediterranean Fruit Fly (click here), yes? It was such an activity of APHIS.

Is the Trump USDA willing to allow disease and infestation plague the American farmer?

February 6, 2017
Silver Spring, MD- (click here)- Without prior notice late last week, the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) abruptly removed animal welfare inspection reports from its website. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which accredits the world's best, and most visited zoos and aquariums, disagrees with USDA's decision, which makes this important information harder, not easier, for the public to obtain.

"When the Department of Agriculture decided to take all animal welfare inspection reports offline, there is no doubt some APHIS licensees were very happy: Those who have no desire for the public to know about their animal welfare record," said The Honorable Dan Ashe, President and CEO of the AZA. "AZA-accredited aquariums and zoos pride themselves in not only adhering to, but also in exceeding, the Animal Welfare Act and its regulations. AZA accreditation requires the very highest standards in animal care, and has earned the public's trust and confidence, as reflected by the more than 186 million annual visits to AZA member facilities. This trust and confidence is eroded by efforts that are seemingly intended to shield information from public view."

AZA represents 232 of the world's best and most visited aquariums and zoos. In addition to the regulations enforced by APHIS under the Animal Welfare Act, AZA members may also be subject to the regulations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Lacey Act, and all applicable state and local animal welfare laws. In addition to complying with government regulations, AZA members are required to follow all AZA accreditation standards and can be inspected at any time....     

On a more American sane note, Ollie the bobcat has returned home after a walk around town.

I was watching the story, but, only caught up with it this evening.

February 4, 2017

A bobcat (click here) that escaped from the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., took a walk on the wild side and then returned is doing fine.

The zoo said in a statement that Ollie the bobcat had a full physical examination Thursday morning and it showed no major problems.

Veterinarians treated a cut on Ollie’s paw with dissolvable stitches. They also gave her some booster vaccines.

Ollie will stay in the hospital for a few days to be monitored for signs of respiratory illness. The 7-year-old female bobcat normally shares her space with two male bobcats.

Ollie was found to be missing on Monday morning. She was spotted Wednesday afternoon on zoo property and walked into a trap that zookeepers set up for her.

This good news is not shared by Virginia Zoo in Norfolk. They are still missing a Red Panda. Cooler weather also provides incentive to some animals to try some adventure.


February 6, 2017

Red pandas are the Houdinis of zoos. (click here) The raccoonlike creatures, who lounge on tree branches like stuffed animals made real, have escaped exhibits in the United Kingdom, California and Washington, D.C. They’re often retrieved in days, if not hours.

But at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, Sunny has been AWOL for more than a week. The 19-month-old broke out on a stormy night — likely after her lust-driven male companion, Thomas, began to pursue her.

Red pandas, which are native to China, are in their breeding season, the zoo said on its website. And the animals, with their white-trimmed faces and furry red tails, can become “agitated.”

Sunny has so far evaded infrared cameras, search dogs and drones, not to mention zoo staff and volunteers. “I’m sure someone took it,” Brianna Maison, 22, a college student in Norfolk, said last week at the zoo with her children.

Sunny may have slipped from a wet branch, which helped her escape, the zoo said. And the theory surprised no one who passed by the exhibit at lunchtime Wednesday.

Frequent visitors said large branches from a tree in the enclosure had sloped above a pedestrian walkway. “We used to wonder what kept them from getting out,” said Karen McSpadden, 32, of Virginia Beach. “I guess nothing was.”...

Red Pandas are susceptible to heat stress and like it cool.


Red pandas (click here) usually live in the temperate forests of the Himalayan foothills and other Asian mountains, where climates remain consistently cool and rainy throughout the year. They forage for bamboo at night and curl up in trees to sleep during the daylight hours. Unfortunately, these adorable animals are endangered in the wild, and they're often illegal as pets. You can observe and appreciate them at many U.S. zoos....

Oddly, the USDA doesn't seem to want Americans to know about cruelty to animals. I guess the animal folks will have to up their game and hire their own inspectors.

Strange, I didn't know privacy of animals was a constitutional right. Now, I know plants are not insured privacy at all.

Citing privacy concerns, (click here) the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has removed public access to tens of thousands of inspection reports from its website.
The reports catalogue the number of animals kept and how they are treated by research labs, zoos, companies, circuses and animal transporters....

Lawsuit!

The Democrats need to get serious about this country!

February 6, 2017
By Olympia Duhart

(Womensenews) —Here’s some free advice for Betsy DeVos, (click here) the billionaire nominee tapped by President Donald Trump to head the Department of Education: Do your homework.

Over the past several years, sexual assaults on U.S. college campuses have become an epidemic. Twenty-three percent of female undergraduate students have experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact, according to reports. Not only can this leave the student struggling with physical and emotional damage caused by the assault, survivors continue to be stigmatized. Some colleges also choose to sweep reports of these assaults under the rug.

Given that, it was very troubling that DeVos failed the series of questions she was asked during her Jan. 17 confirmation hearing about Title IX, the 1972 law that says that any federally-funded educational program must ensure safety and protection against sexual discrimination. The Trump nominee for secretary of education should have been better prepared for this topic.

Instead, DeVos refused at her hearing to articulate a firm commitment to using Title IX to respond properly to sexual assault on college campuses. Her answers side-stepped the issue and did not signal a pledge to use the weight of federal civil rights law to stop sexual assault at colleges and universities....
"Morning Papers"

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

Any investment in Moon enterprises are premature. The effects of human activity on Earth's moon is unknown.

Earth's moon is a satellite with a gravitational balance with a planet. The only celestial body that should be even closely considered for human habitation is a planet. So, the focus of Mars is not unrealistic, but, to mess with Earth's moon, at this point, is craziness.

Andrault, Denis, Julien Monteux, Michael Le Bars, Henri Samuel. "The deep Earth may not be cooling down." June 2016.  Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Volume 443, pp. 195-203.

...An alternative mechanism (click here) to sustain the geodynamo is mechanical forcing by tidal distortion and planetary precession. Motions in the outer core are generated by the conversion of gravitational and rotational energies of the Earth–Moon–Sun system. Mechanical forcing remains efficient to drive the geodynamo even for a sub-adiabatic temperature gradient in the outer core. Our thermal model of the deep Earth is compatible with an average CMB heat flow of 3.0 to 4.7 TW. Furthermore, the regime of core instabilities and/or secular changes in the astronomical forces could have supplied the lowermost mantle with a heat source of variable intensity through geological time. Episodic release of large amounts of heat could have remelted the lowermost mantle, thereby inducing the dramatic volcanic events that occurred during the Earth's history. In this scenario, because the Moon is a necessary ingredient to sustain the magnetic field, the habitability on Earth appears to require the existence of a large satellite.

This is only one article. The exact effects of human activity on the moon is not known. The moon is Earth's satellite long before it is Wall Street's lust for money. The scientific community has absolutely no concrete idea of the effects of any disruption in the moon. It has a direct relationship with Earth. What this scientific article proves is that Earth is still a mystery as well.

Geologists often have stated, "Earth is becoming old and cold." Evidently that conclusion is outdated and quite possibly dangerous to life on Earth.

Knock it off. 

When the USA went to the moon it was to prove the frontier of space is within the grasp by the USA. There are no other countries that have been able to accomplish such a mission. Currently, outer space is static; humans have not altered any of it's properties in a real way. The day there are explosives going off on Earth's moon, that reality changes. 


There hasn't even been any drilling into Earth's moon to know what is under the surface. There are many craters, but, that is not an indication that explosive charges are minimal compared to cratering. 

This is probably the most interesting view of Earth's moon. This is it's south pole. This south pole shows a circular pattern to some extent which might have formed as it cooled.

A closer look at this view shows more than impact craters, there is a flat area at 7 o'clock and another at 5 o'clock and another at 9 o'clock. There are also mountains on the moon. Flat areas and mountainous areas outside of a dent by an astroid is a geological feature of the moon. The moon was hot and molten at one time. I believe some of these geological features appear on the moon due to it's cooling. There is no way to state a flat surface without cratering is caused by craters. That is nonsense. There is no erosion on the moon, so any idea the flat areas are caused by the atmosphere is pure idiocy. 

Until we understand the entire moon as well as we understand Earth and its relationship with Sol there is high risk of adverse effects on Earth.

Additionally, how much of the moon's weight can Earth tolerate? Every time a space vehicle brings back moon rocks, it is adding to the weight of Earth. 

Matter is finite. Matter is a material substance that occupies space, has mass, and is composed predominantly of atoms consisting of protonsneutrons, and electrons, that constitutes the observable universe, and that is interconvertible with energy.

Within Earth's planet system (not the solar system, just the planet) matter is finite. That may not be the case with the universe, but, it is with Earth. Earth has just so many molecules of anything regardless of how they are used by human activity.

Every time someone brings back matter from the moon it adds to Earth's matter or mass. How much rock can come from Earth's moon? Mining the moon is making it lighter while Earth is becoming heavier with the moon's rock. Given the relationship with Earth, how much of the moon's mass can be carried by Earth without effecting its current physics and physical composition?

The moon is to much a mystery to say it can be safely mined. That is pure unadulterated hubris.

  • "Good Night, Moon"

    The waxing gibbous

    9.3 days old

    70 percent lit

    A billionaire wants to mine the moon. How stable is the moon when explosives become a daily ritual? What happens to the tides on Earth? All those questions have not even been asked!

    January 31, 2017
    By Lori loannau

    Moon Express, (click here) the first private company in history to receive government permission to travel beyond Earth's orbit, announced Tuesday that it raised another $20 million in private equity financing to fund its maiden lunar mission to take place in late 2017. This brings the total amount of private investment to $45 million from investors that include Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, Collaborative Fund and Autodesk.

    What may have added impetus to investor interest in Moon Express is President Trump's picks for the NASA transition team — Charles Miller and Chris Shank — and the leading candidate to become the next NASA administrator, GOP Rep. Jim Bridenstine. All support commercial space ventures and manned exploration — including lunar missions.

    If successful, the new MX-1 lunar lander from Moon Express would not only win the $20 million Google Lunar XPRIZE, it would also help jump-start a new era of space exploration. Up until now, only government-funded missions from the United States, China and Russia have landed on the moon....