Feds Lists Worst-of-the-Worst Nursing Homes

clipped from blogs.wsj.com The federal government just published a list of more than 100 of the worst nursing homes in the country, based on how they fared during government inspections. The list is online here. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that runs Medicare, published a portion of the list last year, but today was the first time the complete list has been made public. Information on deficiencies at nursing homes not on the special facilities list is available at Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare Web site, which allows users to search by location or by the name of facilities.

61,000 calls and counting...

clipped from my.barackobama.com We're well on our way to our goal of 100,000 calls by tonight but we've still got lots of work to do. We need everyone who reads this blog to not only participate, but encourage your friends and family to participate as well. With your help, we can not only meet, but shatter, our goal. My.BarackObama.com/call Again, these will be hard-fought races and we need your help. Virginia, for example, is a state the Clinton campaign says they "intend to compete hard in and do very well." These calls can make a critical difference down the stretch. My.BarackObama.com/call Will you be a direct part of this historic movement? Can we continue to make history and reach our new goal of 100,000 calls by tonight? Yes We Can. Let's hit the phones.

Rise in Foreclosures Leads to New Rescue Plan, Possibility for Bargains

clipped from blogs.wsj.com At least 1.3 million mortgages were either seriously delinquent or in foreclosure at the end of the third quarter, according to the Mortgage Banking Industry. Enter the mortgage lenders. At 11:15 a.m. today six major lenders are due to announce a stepped-up effort to rescue homeowners on the brink of foreclosure. (Here’s the full story in today’s Journal.)

Finding a ‘Medical Home’ for $2 a Month

clipped from blogs.wsj.com Good primary care is cheap, country doctor Benjamin Brewer declares in his latest WSJ.com column. It’s almost become cliché to speak of “soaring health-care costs,” so it’s rather jarring to see the words “cheap” and “care” in the same sentence. But Brewer says good quality primary care is “cheaper than your cellphone bill. Cheaper than a tank of gas. Cheaper than dinner and a movie.”

'We are the ones we have been waiting '

clipped from my.barackobama.com Here's the speech Barack delivered tonight in the great city of Chicago...

Record number of soldiers committed suicide last year

clipped from blogs.usatoday.com A record number of active-duty soldiers killed themselves last year, according to The Washington Post. The paper cites an internal Army study that shows 121 soldiers committed suicide in 2007. That's a 20% increase over the prior year The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have placed severe stress on the Army, caused in part by repeated and lengthened deployments," the paper reports. "Historically, suicide rates tend to decrease when soldiers are in conflicts overseas, but that trend has reversed in recent years. From a suicide rate of 9.8 per 100,000 active-duty soldiers in 2001 -- the lowest rate on record -- the Army reached an all-time high of 17.5 suicides per 100,000 active-duty soldiers in 2006 The number of attempted suicides among soldiers is six times higher than it was The Associated Press is quoting preliminary figures that show more than a quarter of the suicides took place in Iraq Click here for the warning signs that suggest someone is considering suicide

The Water Cube Unveiled, China

Looks awesome.

clipped from news.xinhuanet.com Photo taken on Jan. 28, 2008 shows the exterior view of the National Aquatics Center also known as "Water Cube" in Beijing. The National Aquatic Center was delivered for use on Monday after four years of construction. (Xinhua Photo/Luo Xiaoguang) clipped from www.chinadaily.com.cn clipped from www.plasticsnews.com clipped from www.tropolism.com Wacky in a way only state-sponsored architecture can be is the National Swimming Center in Beijing, going up right next to another of H&DM's stadiums (no, not this one). The center is enclosed by what appears to be a wall whose structure is an irregular spaceframe (made to resemble the cellular pattern of soap bubbles) and is clad in what appears to be a frosted or patterened glass. All of this from a wonderful photo gallery at Structurae. The building was conceived by Australian-based PTW Architects. Structural design by Arup, of course. clipped from www.sportsvenue-technology.com clipped from images.google.com