Issue 7 2010: July
FREE HEALTH CARE
With international aid agencies providing post-earthquake medical care in Haiti for free, privately run Haitian hospitals and clinics are failing. "Health care is free now," said one physician. "And so, unless something changes, the private Haitian medical sector will not be able to survive." ..... The Dallas Morning News
THE $600 BILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE
Launching what experts call the biggest fundraising drive in the history of philanthropy, billionaires Warren Buffet and Bill Gates are urging other American billionaires to donate half their net worth to charity. The pair is initially targeting the 400 richest Americans, as identified by Forbes magazine. Those 400 have a combined net worth of $1.2 trillion, making for a potential charitable windfall of $600 billion. Gates and his wife, Melinda, have endowed the world's biggest charitable foundation, to which Buffet has contributed $6.4 billion. ..... The Week
SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS AND NURSES
Nearly 40 percent of U.S. doctors are age 55 or older. Their expected retirements over the next decade, along with those of nurses, will create a shortfall of hundreds of thousands of health-care professionals by 2020. ..... The Washington Post
FISHING BARBIE
Two-year-old Ella Haag, using her favorite Barbie fishing pole, caught a 20-pound, 30-inch muskie while fishing with her family at Minnesota's Round Lake. First, Ella caught a tiny sunfish with a hook and a worm. "Ella had her sunfish on and she's reeling it in," her mother, Carrie Haag related. "Here comes this big muskie that went and ate her sunfish. So I grabbed the pole and yelled for Grandpa David," who nabbed the fish with a net. Amazingly, the Barbie pole was up to the task. "I caught a shark," explained Ella, who is smaller than the fish. ..... The Week
SOME GOOD NEWS
The flight by nervous investors to U.S. Treasury bonds has given U.S. home buyers an unexpected windfall. Rates on 15-year mortgages, which are pegged to Treasurys, have fallen to 4.24 percent, a 19-year low. ..... The Wall Street Journal.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Forty years ago, amid campus strikes, sit-ins, and building takeovers, Boston University administrators decided to cancel finals and graduation ceremonies and send everyone home. This past May, members of the class of 1970 were invited back to campus for the ritual they never had, and 300 of them showed up, many with children and grandchildren in tow. "Forty years ago I probably never would have gone to graduation because I was such a hippie," said class member Peter Simon. "Time has mellowed me." Still, true to form, the class broke into a spontaneous rendition of John Lennon's, "Give Peace A Chance." ..... The Week
UNBELIEVABLE STORYBOOK ROMANCE
Andriej Ivanov of Russia was about to jump off a bridge into the Belaya River in Ufa, and saw Maria Petrova preparing to jump off the same bridge. They're now engaged. "All that pain was worthwhile because it led me to my Andriej," Petrova said. ..... The Week
UH-OH!
LifeLock CEO Todd Davis listed his actual Social Security number on TV and Internet ads to prove that his company can reliably prevent identity theft. His identity has since been stolen at least 13 times, with thieves running up thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges and loans. ..... The Week
THRIFTY CONGRESS MEMBERS
About 40 members of Congress sleep on cots in their Capitol Hill offices. "I think that reinforces the fact that I live in the district," said Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.). Office sleepers say they also save more than $50,000 a year in Washington rents. ..... Associated Press
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE EVERYTHING
The "Smart Shopper" is a hand held device for anyone who always forgets to put a crucial item on the shopping list. When an item runs out, simply "say what you need" to the device-its voice-recognition technology will transcribe it. When you're ready to head to the store, the device will print an organized, receipt-sized list. Price $150 at SmartshopperUSA.com. ..... Better Homes and Gardens
JIM'S STETHASCOOP
"One of the greatest victories you can gain over someone is to beat him at politeness." ..... Humorist Josh Billings, quoted in The Kansas City Star
MILT'S MORSEL OF THE MONTH
"Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you've got to start young." ..... Theodore Roosevelt, quoted in the London Daily Mail
