Starbucks Density

How many Starbucks are within 5 miles of your house/office???

This is a question that has been circling online which is being dubbed your "Starbucks Density".

http://www.starbucks.com/retail/locator/default.aspx (to find the number of stores, scroll to the bottom of your results and find the "(Showing 1-20 of xxx Stores)"

Here are my results:
71 Stores within 5 miles of my office
73 Stores within 5 miles of my apartment

Believe it or not, there are addresses in Manhattan that are showing more than 200 Starbucks within 5 miles!!!!!!

The Elephant in the Room

Excellent article from the NY Times discussing the health care debate from a different perspective. Here is an excerpt:

No one disputes that the $2.3 trillion we devote to the health care industry is often spent unwisely, but the fact that the United States spends twice as much per person as most European countries on health care can be substantially explained, as a study released last month says, by our being fatter.

Even the most efficient health care system that the administration could hope to devise would still confront a rising tide of chronic disease linked to diet.

That’s why our success in bringing health care costs under control ultimately depends on whether Washington can summon the political will to take on and reform a second, even more powerful industry: the food industry.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three-quarters of health care spending now goes to treat “preventable chronic diseases.” Not all of these diseases are linked to diet — there’s smoking, for instance — but many, if not most, of them are.

We’re spending $147 billion to treat obesity, $116 billion to treat diabetes, and hundreds of billions more to treat cardiovascular disease and the many types of cancer that have been linked to the so-called Western diet. One recent study estimated that 30 percent of the increase in health care spending over the past 20 years could be attributed to the soaring rate of obesity, a condition that now accounts for nearly a tenth of all spending on health care.

The American way of eating has become the elephant in the room in the debate over health care.

From: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/opinion/10pollan.html?em

Don't Stop

The opening track from Journey's seventh album, "Don't Stop Believing" was merely a modest hit when it was released in 1981, reaching No. 8 on Billboard's mainstream-rock chart.

"Open Arms" off the same album was actually the biggest hit, reaching No. 2.

Recently "Don't Stop Believing" has been reborn as the stadium anthem of choice and become one of the most popular sing-a-longs for people of all ages.

The song closed the popular Sopranos series, was prominently featured in the Family Guy television series, and is the featured song of the new Fox show Glee.

The most amazing feat happened in 2008 when it became the most downloaded song in iTunes history.

From ESPN's article on the greatest stadium anthem: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=paulas/090901

Maybe the greatest version ever of the song:

A Very Important List

Brazil
Canada
Columbia
Mexico
Peru
Trinidad and Tobago
Bhutan
India
China
Israel
Singapore
Thailand
Austria
Finland
Germany
United Kingdom
Australia
New Zealand

What do these countries have in common...They are a few of the many countries that have universal health care!!!!

The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not have a universal health care system.

However, the government directly covers 27.8% of the population through health care programs for the elderly, disabled, military service families and veterans, children, and some of the poor.

Federal law also ensures public access to emergency services regardless of ability to pay.

This unfunded “safety net” mandate has contributed to the increasing strain on the health system, because of the many patients who cannot pay their bills for emergency treatment.

Furthermore, this system encourages the use of the emergency facilities for primary care and not just for emergency purposes.

We need health care reform and we need it now. The status quo is producing a subpar health care system, and it is a growing strain on the fiscal health of our nation.

Bulgaria Lottery

Despite odds of 4.2 million to one against it, the Bulgarian national lottery drew the numbers 4, 15, 23, 24, 35, and 42 on two consecutive draws.

And more curious than that: an astonishing 18 people guessed the six numbers on September 10th, the second time they were drawn.

Each of the 18 winners will receive 10,164 leva, the equivalent of about $7,300.

No one guessed all six numbers on September 6th, the first time they occurred.

Although the coincidence does seem wildly improbable, Bulgarian authorities insist that no manipulation would have been possible, giving as evidence of the event's randomness the fact that the numbers were drawn in a different order on September 6th and September 10th.

This may calm one's suspicions if it weren't for the fact that three of the six winning numbers also appeared once again in the following draw, on September 13th.

Still, the geographic dispersion and rage of ages of the winners was deemed, in a lottery probe, as sufficient evidence the 18 people did not work together. The rather small winnings were also cited as making fraud unlikely.

From: http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/09/18/bulgaria-lottery-repeats-winning-numbers-and-winners-abound/

Foul Ball Part 2

The little girl from the Philadelphia Phillies game has received national attention for tossing the foul ball back.

Here is the coverage from their local news station:






Still Priceless.

Giving Anonymously

Here is a NBC news story on the website http://www.givinganon.org/, which is a truly amazing non-profit organization:

Insurance Industry Profit Protection and Enhancement Act

Speaking before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee Tuesday, former health insurance industry executive Wendell Potter warned that if Congress "fails to create a public insurance option to compete with private insurers, the bill it sends to the president might as well be called the Insurance Industry Profit Protection and Enhancement Act."

Potter also struck back against one of the key arguments made against the public option: that it would have an unfair competitive advantage over private insurers.

"Contrary to the misinformation being disseminated by the health insurance industry and its allies, the public insurance option would not have a competitive advantage over private plans," Potter told the committee. "It would have to meet the same benefit requirements and comply with the same insurance market reforms as private plans."

Potter, who was previously a vice president of communication at Cigna, also sharply criticized Democratic Senator Max Baucus' health care reform bill in a conversation with reporters Monday, calling the plan an "absolute gift to the industry."

From: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/15/wendell-potter-public-opt_n_287733.html

Foul Ball

Maybe the funniest video of the year.

Watch what happens when a dad catches a foul ball at the Philadelphia Phillies game:





Priceless.

Even Doctors Want Public-Private Mix!!!!

Most U.S. doctors favor having both public and private options in a reformed healthcare system, a survey published on Monday said.

When given a three-way choice among:

-private plans that use tax credits or subsidies to help the poor buy private insurance

-a public health insurance plan option for everyone

-a mix of the two

Only 27 percent said they only wanted solely private options

10 percent said they exclusively wanted public options

63 percent of doctors supported a mix!!!!! (FYI -- WHAT OBAMA IS PUSHING FOR)

The study found broad physician support for a combination of private and public insurance, regardless of their region, medical specialty, how they earned their income, or how many hours they spent treating patients.

From: http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-HealthcareReform/idUSTRE58D67120090914

Perfectly Articulated

Thomas Friedman, the author of The World is Flat, recently released an opinion piece in the New York Times, that perfectly sums up the political landscape in this country.

Here are the highlights:

The G.O.P. used to be the party of business.

Well, to compete and win in a globalized world, no one needs the burden of health insurance shifted from business to government more than American business.

No one needs immigration reform — so the world’s best brainpower can come here without restrictions — more than American business.

No one needs a push for clean-tech — the world’s next great global manufacturing industry — more than American business.

Yet the G.O.P. today resists national health care, immigration reform and wants to just drill, baby, drill.

From: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/opinion/09friedman.html?em

# of Stores - The Answer

Yesterday I asked what company had the greatest number of stores worldwide.

Here is a list of some big time retailers and the number of stores they currently have:

Apple Computer: over 260

Home Depot: over 2,000

Target: over 3,000

CVS: over 6,500

Wal-Mart: over 7,000

Dunkin Donuts: over 8,000

Burger King: over 11,000

Starbucks: over 16,000

McDonald's : over 31,000 in 119 countries

And @ #1.....


7/11 Convenience Stores: over 32,000


Japan is 7-Eleven’s largest market, with more than 11,000 stores.

Second largest is the U.S. with over 6,000.

7-Eleven was founded in 1927 when a Southland Ice Company employee started selling convenience items outside the company, at an improvised storefront.


The name 7-Eleven has been in use since 1946.

# of Stores

Every wondered how many McDonald's there are worldwide?

I can almost guarantee you that the store with the most retail locations worldwide will come as a big surprise......

Any guesses?

Answer to come tomorrow....

Most Stressed City

Every year Forbes Magazine puts together a list of the most stressed out American cities.

They take into account 6 major categories:
- Population Density
- Sunny Days Per Year
- Air Quality
- Cost of Living
- Unemployment Rate
- Median Home Price Drop

Here are the 2009 results for the most stressed US cities:

1) Chicago

2) Los Angeles

3) New York

4) Cleveland

5) Providence

6) San Fransisco

7) Detroit

8) Boston

9) Washington DC

10) San Jose


http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/20/stress-unemployment-homes-lifestyle-real-estate-home-values-stressful-cities_chart.html

A Lighter Take on the Economy

How bad is the economy...

The economy is so bad, a picture is now only worth 200 words

The economy is so bad, I saw the CEO of Wal-Mart shopping at Wal-Mart

The economy is so bad, George W. Bush appeared in a flight suit and declared economic recovery was complete

The economy is so bad, Bill Gates had to switch to dial up

The economy is so bad, Dick Cheney took his stockbroker hunting

The economy is so bad that even people who aren't in Barack Obama's cabinet aren't paying taxes

The economy is so bad I saw a polygamist with only one wife

The economy is so bad that I saw someone using the sun to get a tan

The economy is so bad, I saw four CEOs playing miniature golf

From: http://www.disaboom.com/Blogs/saydrah/archive/2009/04/23/the-economy-is-so-bad-55-jokes-about-the-recession.aspx

Health Care Money Wasters

PriceWaterhouse Cooper's Health Research Institute just released a new report on the 3 biggest money wasters in our current health care system:


Too Many Tests

Doctors ordering tests or procedures not based on need but concern over liability or increasing their income is the biggest waste of health care dollars, costing the system at least $210 billion a year. The problem is called "defensive medicine."


Annoying Claim Forms

Inefficient claims processing is the second-biggest area of wasteful expenditure, costing as much as $200 billion annually. "We spend a lot of time and money trying to get paid by insurers," said Dr. Terry McGenney, a Kansas City, Mo.-based family physician. "Some practices spend 40% of their revenue filling out paperwork that has nothing to do with patient care. So much of this could be automated."


The ER as a Clinic

More insured and uninsured consumers are getting their primary care in emergency rooms, wasting $14 billion every year in health care spending. Since emergency rooms are legally obligated to treat all patients, Swanson said providers ultimately find ways to pass on the cost for treating the uninsured to other patients, such as to those who pay out-of-pocket for their medical care.

Jack Bauer on Health Care Reform

The video says it all...



The man does more then just fight crime. Hopefully the health care reform agenda gains more high profile supporters.

Too Big To Fail??

One of the many problems associated with the current financial downturn is that many firms were deemed too big to fail.

This fact served as the premise for those in Washington and on Wall Street to assert that these institutions should not be allowed to go into bankruptcy.

To big to fail was THE reason that the government had to step in.

So what have the policy makers and power brokers done...

Made the institutions bigger:




Here we go again.

Bottled Water

Two years ago, the Earth Policy Institute estimated that each gallon of bottled water costs $10 a gallon to go from the groundwater to your lips.

Each bottle of water kicks the environment twice, first with unnecessary plastic containers and then with the fuel that is burned to transport this heavy liquid load to your door, supermarket, or vending machine.

The cost is currently four times the cost of a gallon of regular gasoline.

This sham is so ridiculous that the Government Accountability Office reported this summer that the energy costs of delivering bottled water to a consumer in Los Angeles were 1,100 to 2,000 times more than the energy cost of tap water, depending on how far away the filled bottles traveled.

Worse yet, annual bottled-water consumption more than doubled between 1997 and 2007, from 13.4 gallons a person to 29.3 gallons.

In one of the more outrageous examples of bottled-water scamming, the Merced (Calif.) Sun-Star reported in June how the Safeway supermarket chain turns Merced city water into an enormous profit.

“In Safeway’s case,’’ the newspaper reported, “they pay more than $1,000 a month for more than a million gallons of water. The retail cost for that much-purified bottled water at Safeway is just under $3 million.’’

Yet Safeway spokeswoman Teena Massingill told the Sun-Star, “We are providing a product that did not exist previously.’’

Last I heard, water existed before bottles, and before Safeway.

From: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/08/25/bottled_water_scam_finally_feels_squeeze/