COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Saturday, March 08, 2014

Venezuela cuts ties with Panama

Panama Does Not Notice

March 5, 2014, 6:10 p.m.

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Nicolas Maduro said Wednesday that  he is breaking diplomatic relations with Panama, a decision he announced amid commemorations of the first anniversary of predecessor Hugo Chavez's death and continuing protests against Maduro's administration.


Maduro said he was taking action because Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli criticized police actions against Venezuelan protesters and because the Central American leader has urged that the Organization of American States debate Maduro’s alleged repression of the demonstrators.

Referring to protests that have roiled the country for three weeks, Maduro said he rejected any OAS debate of them as interference.


Martinelli has also called for the release of Leopoldo Lopez,  former mayor of a Caracas borough and a Maduro critic who was arrested Feb. 18 on charges of incitement to violence.

“A right-wing government is planning to convoke a meeting of the OAS to justify intervention by foreign forces in Venezuela,” Maduro said after a military parade in Chavez’s honor that was attended by thousands of red-shirted supporters. He called Martinelli a “lackey” conspiring with the United States.


On Thursday, the OAS is scheduled to discuss the Venezuelan situation in a meeting in Washington.
Maduro and presidents Raul Castro  of Cuba, Evo Morales of Ecuador and Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua attended ceremonies that included an observance at Chavez’s tomb in a military museum in western Caracas. Fireworks were set off and cannons fired at 4:15 p.m., the time that   Chavez, Venezuela's fiery leftist leader, died last year at age 58.


Protest marches were reported in Caracas and several other cities. Authorities used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds in the Altamira and Chacao sections of Caracas, the capital.

At least 18 people have been killed and hundreds injured in protests that began in western Tachira state and swept across many Venezuelan cities in recent weeks. Demonstrators have railed against high inflation, food shortages and a high violent crime rate.

Maduro reiterated his willingness to talk to opposition leaders. But his opponents have conditioned such talks on the release of Lopez and others, who they say are political prisoners.

 * * * * *

A Dream Time in a Dream Hotel


This hotel is just a dream. My girlfriend and I stayed in "Trump Ocean Club" from 23 February to 25 February 2014. A short stay, but we wanted to try how the hotel is. To make it short, it was a dream time in a dream hotel.


The staff is very friendly and helpful, from the bell-boy, the reception to the maid, that was the first impression I had, so I thought, lets have a nice time.

The reception is not on the ground floor, the reception is one on the upper levels. I can't remember, but it was floor 13 I guess. The pools and the restaurants are just one floor under the level were you check in, that's great.


We arrived very tired, the check in took a while, so we went straight to the pool-deck. What a dream, the pools are infinity-pools with the view on the canal, just beautiful. We relaxed in one of the relaxing-zones, and we had not to wait too long till someone came so we could order some drinks. The drinks came fast and made us happy.


Well, then we checked in, in our room. What a beauty, a big king-size bed, the most comfordable king size bed I ever slept. Oversized Flat-Screen TV, balcony with a gorgeous view, but the hit was the cool bath-tub in the middle of the room, what a beauty. I loved this room, and I felt at home.


There was a very cool coffee-maker, so you could make you caffee latte, cappucino or expresso or whatever you liked, that was something for my girlfriend. The minibar I have to criticize, it was too expensive, sorry.

Well, what a dream hotel, 
that was the thought of me and my girlfriend.

 * * * * *


The program consists in the construction of two new sets of locks - one on the Pacific and one on the Atlantic side of the Canal. Each lock will have three chambers and each chamber will have three water reutilization basins.

 
The program also entails the widening and deepening of existing navigational channels in Gatun Lake and the deepening of Culebra Cut.



In order to open a new 6.1 km-long access channel to connect the Pacific locks and the Culebra Cut, four dry excavation projects will be executed.

Panama Canal, Consortium Reach Deal to Complete Work

Agreement Ends Two-Month Dispute 
Over Who Will Pay for $1.6 Billion in Cost Overruns


Panama and a consortium of European builders agreed to end a two-month-long dispute over $1.6 billion in cost overruns for a project to widen the Panama Canal, raising hopes the work can be completed in about two years.
 

The preliminary deal, reached Thursday night, calls for independent arbitrators to rule on who should carry the extra costs. Both parties also agreed to provide for more than $1 billion in funds needed to complete the expansion project, which the shipping industry views as a boon to global trade.

The work on the 100-year-old waterway, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, began in 2007 with the overall cost pegged at $5.2 billion. The purpose is to widen and deepen the canal, given that many of today's vessels, including oil tankers and many container ships, are too big to fit through the canal's narrowest, 110-foot-wide stretches.



Jorge Quijano, head of the Panama Canal Authority, a government agency that operates the 50-mile waterway, said Friday that the project won't be finished until early 2016. The previous target was late 2015.
With the project's completion, Panama stands to greatly increase its more than $1 billion in annual revenue from toll fees. The U.S., which built the canal in 1914 and is the passageway's biggest customer, also is expected to benefit, as a wider canal could allow it to start exporting liquefied natural gas, or LNG, to Asia from ports in the eastern U.S.


"LNG is not currently traded through the Panama Canal as most LNG vessels are too wide to fit through the locks," consultancy firm Wood Mackenzie said in a recent report, noting the importance of the canal to U.S. efforts in exporting LNG from its Gulf Coast. "The expansion project will allow all but the very largest LNG ships to use the Panama Canal."


 * * * * *
 


  • In June, Nicaragua allowed Chinese businessman Wang Jing to build canal
  • Construction could begin next year and take five to six years to complete
  • Critics say it's economically unrealistic, ecologically risky, bad for Nicaragua
  • Wang also gets string of tax-free side projects, from port, airport to pipeline
  • Deal pays Nicaragua $10m a year for 10 years, slowly transferring ownership


Nicaragua's government says the construction of an inter-ocean canal will start a year later than planned because the waterway's path has yet to be defined.




The president of the canal authority, Manuel Coronel Kautz, says the project will not begin until next year because the canal's route approval comes in the third quarter of this year. President Daniel Ortega had said Nicaragua planned to begin construction in May.


Kautz told La Prensa newspaper on Saturday authorities wanted to wait for feasibility studies to be well advanced.


Nicaraguan legislators in June approved granting Beijing-based telecommunications CEO Wang Jing a concession to build and operate a canal more than three times the length of Panama's.

The China Railway Construction Corporation is carrying out a feasibility study on the canal project, which, if built, would rival the Panama canal and be the world's largest civil engineering project.

Nicaragua's announcement comes after a European-led consortium expanding the Panama Canal threatened to halt work unless the Panama Canal Authority met more than US$1.6 billion in cost overruns.

It is estimated that the canal, which is expected to be significantly longer than the 77-kilometre Panama Canal, will cost US$40 billion to build.




196 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Well, what a dream hotel,
      that was the thought of me and my girlfriend.
      *****

      This should of course read 'that was the thought of my girlfriend and I'.

      That's the trouble with the black emphasis - people notice.

      Delete
  2. The "Girl Friend" is the girlfriend of Mr. Jack Hawkins?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jack has a girlfriend?

      You got to be joking.

      He spends 24/7 here. No time for girlfriends.

      Delete
  3. China should go back to the 1950's and excavate with Nukes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Imperialistic Chinks go home ! Imperialistic Chinks go home ! The People want the Yanks ! The People want the Yanks !

      Delete
  4. The One Thing You Should Do For Your
    Prostate Every Morning

    Dear Quirk,

    If you’re a man over 40, odds are you have a “growing” problem…

    A prostate that can keep getting bigger and bigger, affecting your bladder control and making you look for a bathroom more often than you’d care to admit. Interrupting your schedule — and your busy life.

    Then there’s:

    Getting up at night to “go” multiple times, affecting your sleep…

    Trouble emptying your bladder completely, dribbling, or leaking…

    Maybe even problems with your love life due to your growing prostate…

    And believe me, you’re not alone.

    More than half of men ages 40-59 have prostate concerns and this percentage grows to over 80% of men over 80.

    Fortunately, now there’s good news…

    Your enlarged prostate does NOT have to be an inevitable part of aging.

    SPECIAL TIP: The One Thing You Need to Do for Your Prostate Every Morning

    Men’s health expert Dr. David Brownstein considers prostate health so important, he created a special presentation for you.



    In this FREE presentation, you’ll learn the one simple thing you need to do for your prostate every morning along with a number of other simple, safe, and effective strategies to help you prevent, manage, even reverse prostate enlargement symptoms.

    Click Here Now to Watch the FREE VIDEO on Improving
    Your Prostate Health and Getting Your Life Back!

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    Health Director, Medix Select

    P.S. Things come up, you get busy. Odds are, if you wait to watch this free video, you’ll forget — so do this right now. You and your prostate will be glad you did. Learn How Prostate Size Affects Your Health. Click Here to See the FREE Video Now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. (article recommends getting off the Vodka, claims it lowers the sperm count, emphaizing this is even more important with designer people)

      Delete
    2. .

      I have this little Puerto Rican chick that comes in and massages it every day. Its doing ok.

      .

      Delete
  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whole area needs to get with the real program and re-instate the Napoleonic Code System. They are making a hell of a mistake going with 'the Charlie Chi-coms'.

      Without the Napoleonic Code System the whole area is doomed to mosquitoes, hookers, drug addiction, tin roofed huts, unemployment, and illiteracy.

      The President of Venezuela, for instance, is an illiterate bus driver. In that case it doesn't make any difference though as it's the Cubans that are running the place, into the ground I might add.

      I don't see any mention of El Salvador, but rat's first wife was from there, and headed back home after dropping the kid in Arizona. Took the kid with her. Kid could claim USA citizen if he wished.

      Delete
  6. Great Post, Rat. Very Informative. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great great post. Very very informative. Mucho gracias.

      Delete
    2. Skimpy on details, I learned little, thanks, but no thanks.

      Delete
  7. International scrutiny of Venezuela grows

    CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela is coming under increasing international scrutiny amid violence that most recently killed a National Guardsman and a civilian in a clash at a protest barricade.

    United Nations human rights experts demanded answers Thursday from Venezuela’s government about the use of violence and imprisonment in a crackdown on widespread demonstrations.

    The six experts, who report to the U.N.’s top human rights body in Geneva, wrote the administration of President Nicolas Maduro about allegations of protesters being beaten and in some cases severely tortured by security forces, and taken to military facilities, cut off from communication and denied legal help, U.N. officials said.

    Venezuela’s U.N. Mission in Geneva called it part of an international disinformation campaign to undermine the government.

    In Washington, the permanent council of the Organization of American States met into the early hours of Friday to discuss the situation in Venezuela, without making any decision. It was to resume deliberations later in the day.

    The National Guard member and the civilian were killed Thursday after a group of men on motorcycles rode into an east Caracas neighborhood to remove a street barricade erected by anti-government protesters.

    The clash that erupted in the mixed industrial and residential district of Los Ruices heightened tensions on the same day the Venezuelan government expelled foreign diplomats for the second time in a month.

    More than 100 men on motorcycles carrying pipes and rocks swarmed Los Ruices in the incident. Some tried to force their way into buildings. Residents screamed “murderers, murderers” from rooftops and the motorcyclists taunted them from below, urging them to come down and fight.

    In other neighborhoods, motorcyclists dismantled barricades under the whistles and shouts of residents, but without violence.

    Venezuelans fed up with food shortages and unchecked violence have been staging nearly daily street protests since mid-February, snarling traffic with barricades of garbage, furniture and burning tires. At least 21 people have been killed in related violence, by government count, in the country’s worst unrest in years.

    President Nicolas Maduro’s administration shows no signs of crumbling from several weeks of nearly daily demonstrations, but the country appears in a stalemate. Protesters are mostly from the middle and upper classes although they do include poorer Venezuelans who don’t protest in their home districts for fear of pro-government paramilitaries.


    ReplyDelete
  8. This is all nice and predictable. But the truly incredible part of the story is that in the graph itself we see that the rate of inflation actually declined in most of the years when the unemployment rate was below 6.5 percent. That's right, fans of counting and arithmetic everywhere will be able to see that in 10 of the 19 years where the unemployment rate was below 6.5 percent the inflation rate actually fell. It only rose in eight of these years, with the rate being unchanged in one of the years. Are you scared of inflation yet?

    We could look at this one from a slightly different angle. The unemployment rate was below 6.5 percent as a year-round average for 15 consecutive years from 1994 to 2008. Over this stretch the core inflation rate fell from 2.8 percent in 1994 to 2.3 percent in 2008. See, hyperinflation is just around the corner.

    The incredible part of this story is that even if we took the very worst year for inflation in this thirty year stretch, the inflation rate only rose by 0.8 percentage points. So, even if we happen to . . . . . . . .

    The Full-Court Press is On

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should post a page with links to all the resources you have found that are to the left of the MSM.

      Few others have taken the time.

      Delete
    2. ...plus regression analyses of coin flips, with creative implications of possible causes from effects.

      Delete
    3. My favorite so far, the one about Obamacare's "effect" on the economic recovery.

      ...because someone said so.

      Delete
    4. Obamacare is a $150 B Annual Transfer from the Top 1% to, to some extent, the Bottom 20%.

      You can't do that without, somewhat, "stimulating" the Economy.

      Delete
    5. Socialism at its core is out of sync with human nature.

      Punishing ambition and success and Rewarding failure and sloth never worked, never will work.

      Delete
  9. Replies
    1. I await a topless picture of Putin, Obama, and Rufus.

      Delete
    2. The Albino, The Skinny Wimp, and The Slob.

      Delete
    3. You might get a picture of Rufus, "bottomless."

      Which, I assume, is what you really want, anyway.

      Delete
  10. Israeli naval commandos today raided a cargo ship that had reportedly left the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas destined for Sudan and seized dozens of advanced heavy rockets hidden in boxes covered by hundreds of sacks of cement. The Associated Press quoted an Israeli Defense Force spokesman that the rockets were to be ultimately delivered to Palestinian militant groups in Gaza.

    The rockets were M-302C, M-302D and M-302E with ranges of 100-130 miles (160-215 km), putting all of Israel in their range from Gaza. They were made in Syria.

    The IDF Intelligence sources were quoted by as saying that Iran’s Quds Force was behind the elaborate plan to ship the rockets by air from Damascus International Airport to Iran, presumably through Iraqi airspace, then taking them to Bandar Abbas.

    The ship, KLOS C (IMO: 8918710; MMSI: 373773000), is a general cargo vessel registered in Panama. The IDF says the ship left Bandar Abbas, made a stop at Iraqi port of Umm Qasr, where it loaded some more cargo containers, and then sailed toward Sudan. IDF says by stopping in Iraq, the Iranians were obscuring their tracks. IDF was reportedly following the weapons transfer for several months.

    The ship was intercepted at 05:30 local time on Wednesday in the Red Sea by Shayetet 13, Israeli navy’s special forces, and along with its 17-man crew was taken to an Israeli port.

    Later today, the Israeli foreign ministry said that it will lodge a formal complaint with UN Security Council against Iran. If the Iranians were behind the shipment, they are in violation of UNSC resolutions 1747 and 1929, prohibiting arms exports from Iran, and they could be referred to a special Iran sanctions committee set up by UNSC under resolution 1737.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is this not an act of war?

      Delete
    2. Sounds more like an enforcement of UNSC resolutions 1747 and 1929, to me.

      Delete
    3. .

      Let's see.

      The Israelis seize a private ship in international waters that is headed for Sudan.

      Yea, could be an act of war.

      .

      Delete
    4. Could be an act of prudent self defense.

      Delete

    5. Yep, or another act of Piracy by Israel ...

      The Pirates of the Mediterranean.

      Delete
    6. Yep the Pirates of the Med, seize a boat that contains hundreds of millions in sophisticated surface to surface rockets, made in Syria and smuggled by Iran.

      Sounds like the world OWES Israel a thank you again.

      Delete
    7. In fact, I wonder how many innocent arab kids have been saved by this seizure.

      If Hamas had gotten the rockets and used them? Israel would have to have bombed the gaza strip.

      Not that Hamas or the Palestinian leadership could care less.... In fact they want kids to be killed for the new roll. Oh let me correct, they want arab kids to be killed by Israel. That matters...

      The 180 thousand men women and babies murdered by assad don't count....

      Delete
    8. Notice the ball-less wonder Rat posts this way when slamming Israel?

      "AnonymousSat Mar 08, 11:42:00 AM EST
      Yep, or another act of Piracy by Israel ...
      The Pirates of the Mediterranean."

      He doesn't want his bullshit "jack" the gay cowboy persona to be blemished....

      Delete
    9. QuirkSat Mar 08, 11:10:00 AM EST
      .

      Let's see.
      The Israelis seize a private ship in international waters that is headed for Sudan.
      Yea, could be an act of war.


      Iran has already declared war on Israel and America. It's still a current situation.

      If I was Israel? I'd simply shoot all of those syrian rockets seized straight at the Presidential palace of Syria.

      Delete
    10. And last I checked a "private ship" in international waters carrying weapons of war?

      Hardly in a position to complain...

      You are getting rusty Quirk about the Rights of Nations on the high seas

      Delete
    11. http://www.businessinsider.com.au/israel-ship-seizure-2014-3

      Delete
    12. Now I stand on the right side of history......

      Those of you that hate Israel? Fools and Knaves....

      Delete
    13. .

      :-)

      I knew it wouldn't take too much to bring WiO out of the bushes.

      .

      Delete
    14. .

      Interesting that this occurred at the exact time Bibi was in the US politicking for Obama to get tougher on Iran.

      A serendipitous coincidence no doubt.

      .

      Delete
  11. Socialism at its core is out of sync with human nature.

    Punishing ambition and success and Rewarding failure and sloth never worked, never will work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sez the guy that is happily enjoying his Social Security, and Medicare.

      "Socialism" IS human nature.

      Delete
    2. "Sez the guy that is happily enjoying his Social Security, and Medicare."

      Repetitions of your obdurate refusal to acknowledge my references to taxes paid vs benefits received does not advance the argument.

      I am not currently on Medicare, FWIW.

      Delete
    3. "Socialism" IS human nature."

      Mississippi's Karl Marx speaks.

      Delete
    4. Bullshit. If you're 65, you're on Medicare.

      Delete
    5. Marx breaded and deep fried.

      Delete
    6. "Bullshit. If you're 65, you're on Medicare"

      ...the Govt did not automatically enroll me, last time I checked.

      Bullshit is as Bullshit does.

      Delete
    7. Yes, they did. You have Medicare, Part A. and, probably, Part B.

      Delete
    8. Wrong.

      I have yet to submit my application.

      Current deadline is March 31, 2014.

      Delete
    9. You were an insurance "professional?"

      Delete
    10. Not wrong. You are enrolled, automatically at age 65. You do not have to "submit an application." And, if not instructed, otherwise, they will deduct the Part B from your Social Security.

      Delete
    11. Rufus asserts.

      Sometimes reality affirms.

      By sheer chance.

      Delete
    12. Wrong is wrong.

      But you may continue to believe, if you must.

      My daily experience suggests otherwise.

      Delete
    13. Your "daily experience," my dick. If you're 65, you're covered by Medicare.

      Delete
    14. Maybe you could supply a link, proving that I was automatically enrolled...

      ...or was anyone else. (with the possible exceptions of illegals)

      We can all apply for payments owed in arrears.

      har dee har har

      Delete
    15. "Your "daily experience," my dick. If you're 65, you're covered by Medicare."

      No link, no evidence, no truth.

      Rufass on parade.

      Delete
  12. The tragedy of the commons is an economics theory by Garrett Hardin, according to which individuals, acting independently and rationally according to each one's self-interest, behave contrary to the whole group's long-term best interests by depleting some common resource.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's why people, invariably, form some sort of Government.

      Delete
    2. Got it backwards, per usual!

      Delete
    3. Every backward tribe of bushmen ever found has had some sort of governing body.

      Delete
    4. .

      Hey, Doug. You are using bold type again. Cut it out. It frightens Bob.

      .

      Delete
    5. Sorry, we tread on sensitive territory with The Farmer and Rufus.

      Delete
    6. It is quite entertaining to compare Rufus's baseless assertions with the reality I face wrt healthcare, however.

      He believes what he experiences from the MSM, not what he could observe with his lying eyes.

      Delete
    7. "That's why people, invariably, form some sort of Government."

      A (socialist) government IS the commons.

      ...but I repeat reality too much for your delusions.

      Delete
    8. .

      My delusions are of a more mundane type.

      Every time I look in the mirror I see the Quirk of age 23.

      .

      Delete
    9. Doug, you've told so many lies about your personal situation, I'd have to be an even worse moron than I am to spend any more time messing with you.

      However, a month, or two, before I turned 65, Medicare sent me a package informing me that I was being enrolled, and that the Part B Premium would be taken from my social security payment, barring any objections.

      Delete
    10. I gave that up, mostly.

      My first clue was seeing myself in a monitor while entering Sears.

      The monitor must be lying, said I.

      Then I discovered all my mirrors at home had lying eyes.

      Delete
    11. Aha !

      Quirk has now admitted to being a delusional designer baby.

      DDB is the medical designation.

      Delete
    12. Which shows his superiority over rat, who is simply unknowingly delusional, albeit with moments of lucidity, as when he said he was a professional asshole.

      Delete
  13. Most Americans become eligible for Medicare when they turn 65. What you need to do to actually get Medicare depends on whether you are receiving Social Security retirement benefits or railroad retirement benefits.

    If you are 65 and receiving Social Security retirement benefits or Railroad Retirement benefits, you will be automatically enrolled in both Medicare Part A and Part B.
    You do not need to contact anyone. You will receive a package in the mail three months before your 65th birthday with your new Medicare card and a letter explaining how Medicare works and that you have been automatically signed up for both Medicare Part A and Part B. If you are receiving Social Security retirement benefits, your package and card will come from Social Security. If you get railroad retirement benefits, your package and card will come from the Railroad Retirement Board.

    The letter will also explain that your monthly Part B premium will be automatically deducted from your Social Security check or railroad retirement check beginning the month your coverage begins. You will be given the option to turn down Part B.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe Rufus worked on the Railroad, all the Lib Long day...

      I must confess, I didn't.

      Delete
    2. I thought he said he sold insurance?

      Delete
    3. .

      Did you also turn down part D, Doug?

      As I recall, there is a penalty involved for doing so.

      .

      Delete
    4. Even if you're not drawing retirement, you are still automatically eligible (as long as you paid taxes 10 years) - you just may not know it.

      Delete
    5. Yeah, well you've convinced me I better try to get my application in on time.

      ...this time.

      Then I'll be eligible in July, so they say.

      We'll see.

      Delete
    6. The fact remains, a fully funded Medical Savings Account and a Free Market would be far superior.

      The Lure of Free Money has taken that option off the table.

      Delete
    7. Isn't part D all about Doug?

      Delete
    8. Certainly, I must not have screwed that pooch.

      (all the others are jealous)

      Delete
    9. How "fully funded" would a medical savings account have to be to be able to afford Prostate Cancer Treatment?

      People invented "insurance" for a reason.

      Delete
    10. Then, the researchers compared the costs in the Medicare program for whatever treatments the men received for the year before they were diagnosed with prostate cancer and compared that to the costs of treating the same men for a year after their diagnosis.

      11,894 men in the study had received surgery, 17,274 men had only external radiation, and 16,468 had seed implants with or without additional external radiation.

      What the authors found was that there was a rapid increase in the use of the more expensive forms of treatment over the period of the study.

      For example, in 2002, of the men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer and had surgical treatment, 1.5 % had MIRP, while in 2005 the number increased to 28.7%. IMRT-an advanced and more expensive form of radiation therapy--was used by 28.7% of the men treated with radiation in 2002, and 81.7% in 2005.

      The costs of this Cadillac treatment? Here is what the authors had to say:

      "Compared to the less costly alternative, the nationwide excess direct spending for the rapid adoption of more expensive therapies was $282 million for IMRT, $59 million for brachytherapy plus IMRT, and $4 million for MIRP for men diagnosed in 2005."

      My calculator tells me that is $345,000,000.
      That, my friends, is not chump change.


      http://www.cancer.org/aboutus/drlensblog/post/2011/03/18/the-costs-of-prostate-cancer-treatment-up-up-and-away.aspx

      Delete
    11. Famrmer Bob, $350,000 for his hip, and now the same for his prostate, and he bitches about government intrusion.

      If the Government was not intruding, he'd not be whole, would he?

      No, he would be in a hole. If not for Obama and his 'prolific' debt driven Federal spending.

      Doug, no tellin' what his story is, this week.

      Delete
  14. Rufus IISat Mar 08, 10:08:00 AM EST
    Obamacare is a $150 B Annual Transfer from the Top 1% to, to some extent, the Bottom 20%.


    Rufus loves the sounds of this even though it's mostly, to some extent, b.s.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It does have the Sonorous Sounds of Socialism.

      Delete
    2. If only there were a Universal Link to the SSS.

      Delete
    3. To some extent, it does indeed.

      Delete
    4. The link, Doug, is Rufus II @ Libertarian Blog. com

      Delete
    5. Rufus

      THE LIBERTARIAN, EMERITUS

      Delete
    6. I'm a Libertine, not a Libertarian.

      Libertarianism is just "Feudalism" with an up-to-date name.

      Delete
    7. Libertarianism is just "Feudalism" with an up-to-date name.



      Bwabwabwahahahahahardeharhar


      *****Five Star Award for Non-sense Comment of the Day.

      I dare anyone to try and figure that one out.

      Delete
    8. "I'm a Libertine, not a Libertarian."

      We'll, that explains that comment about going bottomless.

      Delete
    9. Farmer Bob, the Government's $700,000 dollar man.

      heh, heh, heh.

      Your own life illustrates the ideological lies you tell, Farmer Bob.

      Delete
    10. Jack, lives on land he doesn't own, takes a government pension and lives off the taxpayer...

      hmm...

      Delete
    11. He identities with the Bottom 20%

      Makes him feel noble while bashing nobility

      Delete
    12. Also lulls him to sleep, dreaming dreams of being a bottom.

      Delete
    13. ...reffering to Rufus, of course.

      Delete
  15. I'd love to post a thread but deuce removed me from the blog roll...

    that's why I could not post for a while, censored.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just deserts, WIO, Just deserts...

      You morons fled the pleasures of Europe for The Desert.

      Delete
  16. DougSat Mar 08, 10:42:00 AM EST
    Sounds more like an enforcement of UNSC resolutions 1747 and 1929, to me.

    United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747 was a United Nations Security Council resolution that tightened the sanctions imposed on Iran in connection with the Iranian nuclear program. It was adopted unanimously by the United Nations Security Council on 24 March 2007.
    In June 2006, the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany offered a package of economic incentives including transfer of technology in the civilian nuclear field, in exchange for Iran to give up permanently its disputed uranium enrichment programme.[1]
    Iran did not accept this offer because it was not attractive enough and because of its inalienable right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, it says. To justify its position, Iran made reference to previous accords concluded between the late Shah of Iran and the West regarding Eurodif and Bushehr. Iran has also referred to similar accords between the West and other countries like North Korea or Libya, where agreements reached and promises made have not been kept. In Resolution 1696, adopted by the Security Council in December 2006, an initial series of sanctions against Iran was implemented because it did not suspend its uranium enrichment programme.
    In the Resolution 1747, the Council decided to tighten the sanctions imposed on Iran in connection with that nation's nuclear program. It also resolved to impose a ban on arms sales and to step up the freeze on assets already in place. The successive Security Council interventions and positions are summarized hereafter


    It also resolved to impose a ban on arms sales

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All states were furthermore recommended to undertake the following:[4]
      Inspect all cargo to and from Iran in accordance with the Convention on the Law of the Sea and civil aviation agreements for prohibited items and report within five days explanations for the search and the findings from such inspections;
      The seizure and disposal of prohibited items;
      Prevent the provision of fuel, supplies and servicing of Iranian vessels if they are involved in prohibited activities;
      Provide information to the Committee concerning attempts to evade the sanctions by Iran Air or Iran Shipping Lines to other companies;
      Prevent the provision of financial services that may be used for sensitive nuclear activities;
      Exercise vigilance when dealing with Iranian individuals or entities if such business could contribute to Iran's sensitive nuclear activities;
      Prohibit the opening of Iranian banks in their territory and prevent Iranian banks from entering into relationships with banks in their jurisdiction if there is reason to suspect the activities could contribute to sensitive proliferation activities in Iran;
      Prevent financial institutions operating in their territories from opening offices and accounts in Iran if they would contribute to Iran's proliferation sensitive activities.


      Sounds like Israel should submit a bill to the UNSC for services rendered.

      Delete
  17. It looks like Alex Sink is going to defeat David Jolly for that Florida seat, formerly held by Bill Young (Republican - Deceased.)

    This is interesting because:

    David Jolly has campaigned, mightily, on "Repealing Obamacare," whereas,

    Alex Sink's only comments regarding the ACA have been along the lines of "sure, it's messed up, but the answer is to fix it."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Looks like the cause and effect are there clear for anyone to see.

      .

      Delete
    2. I said that it was "interesting," not earth-shattering.

      Delete
    3. However, such a result Would be "in line" with the polling on the matter.

      Delete
    4. Yep, and Yessir:

      "National GOP turns on Florida candidate
      By: Alex Isenstadt
      March 7, 2014 05:05 AM EST

      CLEARWATER, Fla. — Their frustration had been mounting for weeks. But by late January national Republicans had had it with David Jolly, their candidate in Tuesday’s nationally watched Florida congressional special election.

      The candidate had just told the state’s top political reporter that he disagreed with an ad the party was airing against his Democratic opponent — a spot paid for with the nearly $500,000 the GOP had already spent on Jolly’s behalf.

      “Are you f—-ing kidding me?” a senior National Republican Congressional Committee official told a Jolly staffer over the phone, according to two sources familiar with the conversation. Would the Jolly campaign prefer that the NRCC stop spending money in the race altogether? the official asked.

      (PHOTOS: 10 must-watch House races in 2014)

      Over the past week, a half-dozen Washington Republicans have described Jolly’s campaign against Democrat Alex Sink as a Keystone Cops operation, marked by inept fundraising, top advisers stationed hundreds of miles away from the district in the state capital and the poor optics of a just-divorced, 41-year-old candidate accompanied on the campaign trail by a girlfriend 14 years his junior. The sources would speak only on condition of anonymity.

      Publicly, both sides declined to discuss the dispute."

      Delete
    5. Obamacare forced David Jolly to be born as, and live a life as, a JERK.

      Delete
    6. 14 years my junior would be 54...

      ...getting a little long in the tooth, for my taste.

      Delete
    7. "However, such a result Would be "in line" with the polling on the matter."

      Said polling showing strong approval of Obamacare.

      :-)

      :-) :-)

      :-) :-):-) :-):-) :-):-) :-)

      Delete
    8. "Polling" showing Disapproval of Obamacare running around 56 - 57%, BUT

      Approval of Repeal running at about 30 - 31%.

      56% say, "keep it," or "keep it, and fix it."

      Delete
    9. Then, there was the special election down in La a couple of months ago, where the pro- Medicaid expansion guy beat the anti-Medicaid expansion guy.

      So far, running against the Affordable Care Act has not been the path to electoral prosperity.

      Delete
    10. Which is Interesting, because that seems to be what the entire Republican party is all geared up to do this cycle.

      It seems to be Plan A, Plan B, AND Plan C.

      Delete
    11. "So, now you're 68."

      Cite any evidence where I've claimed otherwise, and I will correct the record.

      ...your suspicions of deception by others are telling.

      Delete
    12. You were making up all kinds of stories, a few months back, about how your "insurance premiums" were going up under obamacare, etc. etc.

      For a couple of hours you were, I think it was, 59, and then 64, and, then, . . . . .

      Actually, I no longer believe ANYTHING you say.

      Delete
  18. Army troops clash with Hezbollah members
    March 08, 2014 12:15 AM
    The Daily Star
    A+ A-
    BEIRUT: Army soldiers and armed Hezbollah members engaged in a brief confrontation Friday, the Central News Agency reported.

    The head of Army Intelligence in the Bekaa Valley Brig. Gen. Abdelsalam Samhat asked the armed Hezbollah members to remove a checkpoint they had erected on the road leading to the village of Labweh, but the men refused.

    The Army Intelligence convoy drove away toward the city of Baalbek, and both sides fired several warning shots in the air, the CNA reported.

    Half an hour later, a second confrontation occurred between soldiers and a different group of Hezbollah members, who were also erecting checkpoints near the village of Nabi Othman.

    The CNA learned that contacts between the Army Command and Hezbollah officials helped contain the incident.



    Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Mar-08/249639-army-troops-clash-with-hezbollah-members.ashx#ixzz2vOYVZjs9
    (The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

    ReplyDelete
  19. .

    My favorite so far, the one about Obamacare's "effect" on the economic recovery.

    I'm always suspicious when someone posits cause and effect relationships to a single variable when it comes to various macro trends.

    Just as bad, however, is when they use 'models' to prove things that cannot be proven. For example, statements like 'in the absence of the stimulus x million job losses were prevented'.

    Sometimes, it is difficult to argue with the assertions because no links or attributes are given to support the numbers that are thrown out there. At other times, there are certain key words that can alert you to the fact that a model is being used.

    The latest example I saw was the report put out by the administration on February 17, the five year anniversary of the 'stimulus'.
    The report stated that the stimulus “saved or created about 6 million job-years” and “raised the level of GDP by between 2 and 3 percent from late 2009 through mid-2011.”

    Sounds pretty good: however, the real clues that the numbers are generated by a model, in this case a Keynesian model, are the words 'saved' and 'job-years', typical jargon for theoretical models. The problem with all this is of course that is doesn't necessarily have anything to do with real jobs or with reality for that matter.

    The assumptions are all built into the model, more stimulus means increased GDP, more stimulus therefore means more jobs. There is no way you could have a negative result given the model. Even if you lost jobs and GDP declined, the model would tell you things would have been much worse without the stimulus.

    Models.

    It is the same reason, 'global warming' was changed to 'climate change'.

    It is the same reason that even if we enter a new ice age the result will because of the CO2 we put into the atmosphere.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it's clear that Israel capturing illegal advanced syrian/iranian rockets before they could be used have saved lives on both sides of the issue.

      Delete
  20. QuirkSat Mar 08, 12:29:00 PM EST
    .

    :-)

    I knew it wouldn't take too much to bring WiO out of the bushes.




    Deuce blocked me.... Until he opened up posts.... Censored you know...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Sorry, I saw that comment about 17,000 attending the AIPAC meeting a few days back and assumed it was you.

      Bob says he's a member (just as he says he's a member of PETA) but I doubt both claims. He is just too darn lazy to fill out the application. And if there is any application fee involved you can definitely forget about it.

      :-)

      .

      Delete
    2. I'm a member of both you are correct about the rest.

      Glad to see WiO back.

      I should have figured he'd been censored.

      Delete
    3. so large that it filled the entire convention center's main floor.

      Of course the increase in non-christian, non-jewish members is skyrocketing...

      Delete
    4. Blacks, Hispanics, SEIU labor leaders, even a few Palestinians from the West Bank that were brave enough to stand tall and be counted.

      Of course, the Palestinians of the west bank that came are now under death threats by the other palestinians...

      Delete
  21. QuirkSat Mar 08, 12:32:00 PM EST
    Interesting that this occurred at the exact time Bibi was in the US politicking for Obama to get tougher on Iran.
    A serendipitous coincidence no doubt.


    No doubt you take the Iranian pov..

    Israel did not smuggle the rockets, nor did she create the time the ship would be in the Red Sea.

    Maybe if Israel had pulled this off a few days ago? the absent Obama could or would have showed up at AIPAC...

    oh yeah, why? Obama lied every time he spoke there....

    Now he doesn't need to pander to the Jews... He's not running anymore...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe Israelis were hired to conceal the real cargo?

      Delete
    2. .

      No.

      The real cargo that was being smuggled was the cement. Everyone knows cement is proscribed for Gaza. Bibi said so.

      .

      Delete
  22. Rufus said:

    "So, now you're 68."

    Doug replies:

    Cite any evidence where I've claimed otherwise, and I will correct the record.

    ...your suspicions of deception by others are telling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. P R O J E C T I O N


      ...like "rspect"

      Delete
    2. Or, "Potatoe"

      (The NEA provided Quayle a card with that spelling)

      Delete
    3. I answered this above, and I'll answer it, here:

      You were making up all kinds of stories, a few months back, about how your "insurance premiums" were going up under obamacare, etc. etc.

      For a couple of hours you were, I think it was, 59, and then 64, and, then, . . . . .

      Actually, I no longer believe ANYTHING you say.

      Delete
    4. Now, you're claiming to be 68, and unaware that you're covered by Medicare.

      Jeeez

      Delete
    5. .

      Quit picking on the old guy, Rufus.

      At his age he can't help it.

      .

      Delete
    6. It feels strange to have someone else referred to as "the old guy." :)

      Delete

    7. According to the latest report from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), wind power accounted for 27 percent of the total electricity production in the state in 2013.

      It looks like we ain’t seen nothing yet. Another key factor in Iowa’s wind energy growth is Warren Buffet, the well known investor. His MidAmerican Energy company is already heavily involved in the Iowa wind industry and just last year he announced that he would pour another $1.9 billion into new wind farms in Iowa.

      Note: for the record, we got that figure of . . . . . . . .

      Read more at http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/07/iowa-taller-wind-turbine-towers-from-concrete/#S6fVAsxjL0HHEdbK.99

      Next, locally-produced cement for taller towers, and mo megawatts

      Delete
    8. Then, there's "Solar."


      The installed capacity of solar PV in North and South America will increase more than tenfold over the coming years, jumping from 13.1 Gigawatts (GW) in 2013 to 138.8GW by 2030 – according to a new report from consulting firm GlobalData.

      The research – which encompasses key solar players like the US, Canada and Brazil – also predicts that power generated by solar PV installations in the Americas will also experience a growth spurt, jumping from 21 Terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2013 to 234 TWh by 2030.

      Big numbers, indeed. But will it really take until 2030 for this growth to happen? According to one Morgan Stanley analyst, the US market alone could have around 130GW installed within the next four . . . . . . .


      Read more at http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/07/morgan-stanley-us-129-gw-commercial-solar-2018/#0OGIxvCQY1hPkvzq.99

      Four Years?

      Delete
  23. I'm one of the younger people here. Old coots like you guys are disgusting. Always talking about your age, your health insurance, you often have an unpleasant odor from poor hygiene, your appearance is disheveled, totally set in your stupid opinions, you all drink too much and basically many of your are in desperate need of death panels.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You people are enough to make the young like myself feel sometimes that life sucks.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. Wonderful comment Quirk.

      If they were all only like that.......

      :)

      Delete
  24. The Palestinian president said he has rejected a conditional Israeli offer to let Palestinian refugees in war-torn Syria resettle in the West Bank and Gaza, charging it would compromise their claims to return to lost homes in Israel.

    Abbas said he asked U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon last month to seek Israeli permission to bring Palestinians caught in Syria's civil war to the Palestinian territories. The request came after fighting between Syrian troops and rebel fighters in Yarmouk, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Syria. About half of the camp's 150,000 residents have fled, according to a U.N. aid agency.

    Abbas told a group of Egyptian journalists in Cairo late Wednesday that Ban contacted Israel on his behalf.

    Abbas said Ban was told Israel "agreed to the return of those refugees to Gaza and the West Bank, but on condition that each refugee ... sign a statement that he doesn't have the right of return (to Israel)."

    "So we rejected that and said it's better they die in Syria than give up their right of return," Abbas told the group. Some of his comments were published Thursday by the Palestinian news website Sama.
    Hundreds of Syrian Palestinians have died since then. And it is all because Abbas didn't even give them the choice to live. His "principles" are more important than their lives.

    Even as Palestinian Arabs continue to die in Syria, no one is pressuring Abbas to reverse his death sentence. The UN is silent. NGO's are silent. World leaders continue to treat Abbas with respect. Newspaper editorials gush how "moderate" he is.

    And Syrian Palestinians continue to die, every day, directly because of a decision Abbas made more than a year ago.

    Every single "pro-Palestinian" activist should be asked in every venue they speak if they agree with Abbas. Amnesty International and Oxfam and Human Rights Watch should be asked whether they agree that Syrian Arabs are better off dead than given the even the choice to live.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I answered this above, and I'll answer it, here:

    You were making up all kinds of stories, a few months back, about how your "insurance premiums" were going up under obamacare, etc. etc.

    For a couple of hours you were, I think it was, 59, and then 64, and, then, . . . . .

    Actually, I no longer believe ANYTHING you say.

    ---

    P R O J E C T I O N

    You make shit up.

    I do not.

    You are a LIAR.

    Because you believe it to be true, does not make it so.

    If you want to put some money in an escrow account, I'll scan up some notarized evidence.

    'til then, you'll remain who you are:

    A Low Life, Delusional LIAR.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. (Disappointed you would join in the fun, Quirko.

      Then again, you are aged, also, it's Michigan, and it's Winter.)

      Delete
    2. .

      :-)

      Give me a break.

      What you are willing to dish it out but unwilling to take it?

      Hilarious.

      .

      Delete
  26. "Rufus IISat Mar 08, 02:25:00 PM EST

    Then, there's "Solar.""

    ---

    Yes, there is:

    "Rufus" ZERO PERCENT

    Doug - 100 PERCENT

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are now free to lie to yourself and others at will, if it makes you feel better.

      Facts remain facts in the Real World.

      Delete
    2. Yeah, bubba. You're 68, and unaware that you're covered by Medicare. And, I'm the liar.

      You're full of shit as a Christmas turkey, asshole.

      Delete
    3. Big payoff for me to make that up.

      Big Mental Problems for you to need to.

      Delete
    4. "Most Americans become eligible for Medicare when they turn 65. What you need to do to actually get Medicare depends on whether you are receiving Social Security retirement benefits or railroad retirement benefits."

      (Longer quote above)

      Anyone here can easily find the Truth Disproving Your Lie on the Web, should they choose to do so.

      ...no doubt you will keep your head buried up your ass.

      LIAR

      Delete
  27. Sarah is giving a wonderful speech.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I'm 67.

    C'mon, let's all get it on the table.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And, I've always had it figured Doug was a little older than I, though can't recall why. Same with Quirk, I think he is older than I. Same with Rufus. Deuce is older than I. Sam is younger. Miss T is younger. Not sure about WiO. Allen older is how I would bet. Ash was born yesterday, so to speak., in so many ways. rat is a timeless professional asshole, and I think younger than I. Who am I forgetting?

      Fess up now, how old ARE you?

      Delete
    2. rat's mental/developmental age is somewhere in the very low teens, perhaps 14.

      Delete
    3. Jenny is younger than I.

      Delete
    4. Trish and Melody and Whit were all younger than I, but like most of the good ones, they've left. The Cleaning Lady claimed to have 'one foot in the grave' but like a lady never mentioned her exact age. Nor did Trish or Melody.

      Delete
    5. Squishy was way young, put up the two best comments ever, and immediately left.

      Delete
    6. .

      Until he mentioned your name in a previous post above, I had always though Bob was talking about you, Doug, when he mentioned Squishy.

      .

      Delete
    7. Squishy was a true dude, dude. He put up two or three extremely short but artful posts nearly impossible to decipher at about day two of this blog that seemed to imply his dick had been squished somehow, or something.

      I may forget all you folks but I'll always remember Squishy.

      Delete
  29. "There are not enough low information voters in the country to save the other side this year."

    Sarah Palin

    ReplyDelete
  30. .

    You people are enough to make the young like myself feel sometimes that life sucks.


    Ode to the Boobilink (A Rare Bird Indeed)

    A thing there is whose voice is one;
    Whose feet are four and two and three.
    At this stage, his feet are three
    But sadly his brain is far less than one.

    This is the sad tale of the Boobilink
    A strong man once but now quite frail.
    For as he ages and he's no longer hail
    His nose does grow but his brain does shrink.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quirk has forgotten to tell us you wrote the masterpiece, as his memory is failing, but it sounds as if it were written by a DDB, a Delusional Designer Baby person.

      ;)

      Delete
    2. .

      One of my better pieces, offered up in tribute to a faux farmer commando fisherman whose frail faculties now appear to be slowly slipping away, at least as judged by some of the posts he has put up here lately.

      .

      Delete
    3. A mighty work, really not bad, I will print it out and keep it always. Thank you so much.

      Delete
  31. Whose one and only activity as far as anyone knows is walking his dog to the fire hydrant half a block away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Think of Deuce by contrast, a world traveler dating a younger arabic lady.

      Delete
    2. She's got his package, mind, and wallet by now, I'd wager.

      Poor old but active coot.

      Delete
    3. Rufus gets his exercise walking to the fridge, I get mine at the Casino.

      Delete
    4. Ash the Younger gets his at the golf course, which is commendable.

      Delete
  32. "Most Americans become eligible for Medicare when they turn 65. What you need to do to actually get Medicare depends on whether you are receiving Social Security retirement benefits or railroad retirement benefits."

    (Longer quote above)

    Search for "liar" for my comments directed toward you know who.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, yeah, asshole, you're 68 years of age, and not aware that you are covered by Medicare.

      UNLESS, you've never paid taxes?

      Delete
    2. Yeah, you intentionally forget that part every time I state that I wished more of those taxes had gone into a medical savings account.

      ...but you'd rather "see" me as YOU wish, rather than who I am.

      If you don't want to believe I've got the paperwork I need to get into Social Security by March 31 right here on my desk, then don't.

      It won't change reality.

      Delete
    3. Outside your addled "mind."

      Delete
  33. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Must have been a good comment then.

      Delete
    2. You are a mental 14 year old and a professional asshole, just like you described yourself, an internet bully, and are a borderline schizophrenic and need counseling and medical care badly.

      Delete

    3. You are illustrative of $700,000 wasted on Welfare.

      Delete
    4. And you hallucinate.

      But I notice you did not deny my statement so maybe the truth about yourself is finally filtering in even to you.

      It has to everyone one else.

      Get help.

      Delete
  34. Replies
    1. "It's Pretty Hard to be Blind"

      ...consider it a blessing.

      Delete
    2. :)

      She's got a wonderful sense of humor, and got some perfume so she'll smell good.

      A what a wedding gown !

      Delete
    3. I'll wager she's just another gold digger.

      Delete
    4. A CA couple dug up millions of dollars worth of gold coins in their back yard...

      Now they are saying they were likely stolen from the San Fran Mint back in the day, and if so they get zero, nada!

      ...should have parsed them out 1 by one, maybe?

      Probly woulda ended up in jail.

      Delete
  35. Sarah Palin reads a beddie time sleepy story to Rufus -

    http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/palin-re-writes-dr-seuss-i-do-not-uncle-sam-i-do-not-his-health-care-scam_784344.html

    ReplyDelete
  36. The Drudge Report poll on who to choose for GOP Presidential nominee has Ted Cruz way ahead.

    None of the people mentioned are conservatives by some yardstick Q has pulled out his hinder parts. I think he calls it his 'they are all dicks yardstick'.

    Let's face this.......we'll never have a rollicking good time in America again until Quirk is President.

    QUIRK FOR PRESIDENT 2016

    Q Campaign Committee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Make that Rand Paul is ahead. Actually Cruz is about a point behind Paul, who I somehow missed. Sarah has faded badly.

      Delete