Thursday, August 10, 2017

Healthcare and Libertarian Beliefs

From a release presenting Libertarian Party beliefs, explaining libertarian views on the subject. The application of the philosophy as expressed by the Libertarian Party or others may or may not universally represent what is a libertarian view on the topic for all adherents.

Libertarians believe that healthcare prices would decrease and quality and availability of healthcare would increase if providers were freed from government meddling and control. 

Virtually every person wants access to quality healthcare at an affordable price. Libertarians think the best way to achieve this is by removing government interference and enabling free markets.

-Government inappropriately controls our healthcare in many ways:
-Government and a handful of insurance companies have a virtual monopoly as payers. Because of this, they make most of the decisions about what kinds of healthcare are available.
-Government regulates where, when, and who may open new healthcare facilities.
-Government agencies greatly slow development of and access to new medicines, devices, and technologies that may improve quality of care and reduce cost of care.

Currently, the healthcare industry is virtually monopolized by the government and a handful of insurance companies. They hold the checkbook and wield it for their own benefit.

Each year, the government sets prices that they will pay providers including doctors and hospitals. Each year, these payments increase at less than the cost of inflation, while the cost of providing medical care increases by a far greater amount. This has unpleasant consequences for everyone. Providers are incentivized to do what is quick and cheap, not what is in the best interest of a particular patient. Doctors are forced to reduce the time they spend with patients, and this reduces quality of care. Hospitals are discouraged from upgrading facilities, and this reduces quality of care. Worse yet, insurance companies often set their payments according to the government’s prices. This regular ratcheting down on payments to providers, while actual costs to provide care increases, makes providers less able to provide high quality healthcare.

Government also regulates where medical facilities can be built, who can build them, and when. The process for applying for permission to build facilities is very costly and very slow, thus it favors the biggest corporations and prevents smaller organizations from opening new facilities that could serve patients. This greatly limits patients’ access to medical care and increases costs compared to a system where government permission was not required.

Institutions such as the Food and Drug Administration also limit cost-effective access to quality care. The approval processes for new drugs and technology is lengthy and expensive. Because of this, the process favors the biggest companies with the most lawyers. There are many stories of patients dying while waiting for approval of a new device or medicine. Instead, Libertarians call for free-market testing which will be inherently incentivized to be efficient and fair in their processes. Additionally, Libertarians believe in the “Right to Try”, especially in situations with a terminal diagnosis. The government must not be permitted to deny patients access to new medical advances.

Tort reform would also greatly reduce the cost of health care. The current tort system raises the cost of care by
 encouraging unnecessary testing and procedures which increase the cost of medical care by forcing medical teams to devote significant time and resources to preventing or defending against unwarranted legal actions. When legitimate claims arise, they should be taken seriously and resolved fairly through the courts. However, frivolous and fraudulent claims should not be tolerated, as our current system does. These disparage our healthcare providers and the quality of medical care they can provide and that we can receive. Libertarians oppose fraud in all forms.

In short, Libertarians believe that each person has the right to make their own medical decisions. Libertarians support removing government meddling from healthcare. We think this and tort reform are the best ways to improve quality of healthcare, increase access to healthcare, and decrease prices of healthcare in our country.

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How Healthy is Your Antivirus Program, According to the CIA

This curated news item shows how a promising a third party firm can be that offers consumers online support for Norton, McAfee installation and similar antivirus support for consumers using major PC security software. Similar antivirus support companies may exist, but this one covers all aspects of assisting consumers seeking to activate AV programs, install Norton software, download McAfee antivirus apps, renew Norton, or receive other online PC help:

PARIS (AP) — Peppering the 8,000 pages of purported Central Intelligence Agency hacking data released Tuesday by WikiLeaks are reviews of some of the world’s most popular anti-virus products.

The hackers are quoted taking potshots at anti-virus firms, suggesting the American intelligence agencies are keenly aware of flaws in the products meant to be keeping us all safe online.

The data published by WikiLeaks isn’t systematic enough to draw firm conclusions about the reliability of one product or another and the uncertain dating means the CIA’s critiques provide more of a snapshot than an overview.

Still, the posts show America’s top cyberspies aren’t always flattering about commonly used security software.

___

COMODO

The CIA appears to give mixed praise to the anti-virus solution by Comodo, the self-described “global leader in cyber security solutions.”

 One post by an apparent CIA hacker published by WikiLeaks said Comodo is “a colossal pain in the posterior. It literally catches everything until you tell it not to.”

Just don’t upgrade to Comodo 6.

That version “doesn’t catch nearly as much stuff,” the hacker appears to say, describing a particularly glaring vulnerability as a “Gaping Hole of DOOM.”

Melih Abdulhayoglu, Comodo’s chief executive, emphasized the first part of the post, saying that being called a pain by the CIA was “a badge of honor we will wear proudly.” In a statement, he said that the vulnerability described by the CIA was obsolete. Comodo 6 was released in 2013; Comodo 10 was released in January.

___

KASPERSKY LAB

This is one of the world’s leading providers of security protection. But it may not keep you safe from the CIA.

A flaw in the code “enables us to bypass Kaspersky’s protections,” according to another post .

Founder Eugene Kaspersky dismissed the comment, saying in a Twitter message that the flaw identified in the CIA leak was fixed “years ago.”

A statement from his company said a second flaw apparently identified by the agency was fixed in December 2015.

___

AVIRA

A CIA hacker appears to say that this German-engineered anti-virus product is “typically easy to evade.”

The firm said in a statement that it had fixed what it described as “a minor vulnerability” within a few hours of the WikiLeaks release.

It added that it had no evidence that any of its users had been affected by the bug.

___

AVG

The CIA apparently had a trick to defeat AVG that was “totally sweet.”

Ondrej Vlcek, the chief technology officer for AVG’s owner, Netherlands-based Avast, said that the CIA appeared to be discussing a “theoretical bypass” of AVG’s scanning engine which would have required additional work to successfully deploy as malicious software.

“We would not consider it critical,” he said of the issue. Speaking via email, he added that it seemed the post was written “some time” ago.

“This is in fact not an issue today given the current operation of the AVG products,” he said.

___

F-SECURE

One CIA hacker appeared to be particularly scathing about this Finnish firm’s security software. It’s a “lower tier product that causes us minimal difficulty,” one apparent hacker said .

F-Secure noted that the company was described elsewhere , along with Avira, as an “annoying troublemaker.” It said there was a broader point to be made about the CIA’s apparent decision not to warn anti-virus companies about the flaws in their products.

The agency “considered it more important to keep everybody unsecure ... and maybe use the vulnerability for its own purposes or counter terrorism purposes,” F-Secure’s chief research officer Mikko Hypponen said in a statement.

___

BITDEFENDER

The posts aren’t complete enough to say for sure, but Bitdefender, a Romanian anti-virus product, seemed to cause CIA hackers a lot of trouble.

One post appears to suggest that Bitdefender could be defeated by a bit of tinkering.

Or maybe not.

“Alas, we’ve just tried this,” a response to the post said. “Bitdefender is still mad.”

Bitdefender representative Marius Buterchi said the only conclusion to draw was that “we are detecting the CIA tools.”

___

This story has been corrected to show that the last name of Bitdefender’s representative is Buterchi.

___

Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina contributed to this report

___

Online:

WikiLeaks’ release: https://wikileaks.org/ciav7p1/



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Do Kids' Cheap Instagram Likes Lead to Mental Health Issues?

Curated item from CNN about the social media advertising trend on possible outcomes involved from using social media, where to get cheap Instagram likes or get to Instagram top posts:

(CNN) — Instagram is the most detrimental social networking app for young people's mental health, followed closely by Snapchat, according to a new report by the Royal Society for Public Health in the UK.

Their study, #StatusofMind, surveyed almost 1,500 young people aged 14 to 24 on how certain social media platforms impact health and well-being issues such as anxiety, depression, self-identity and body image.

YouTube was found to have the most positive impact, while Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter all demonstrated negative affects overall on young people's mental health.

Instagram -- the image-saturated app with over 700 million users worldwide -- topped the list in terms of negative impact, most notably among young women, stated the report, published Friday.

Instagram draws young women to "compare themselves against unrealistic, largely curated, filtered and Photoshopped versions of reality," said Matt Keracher, author of the report.
"Instagram easily makes girls and women feel as if their bodies aren't good enough as people add filters and edit their pictures in order for them to look 'perfect,' " an anonymous female respondent said in the report.

To tackle the problem, the Royal Society for Public Health has called for social media platforms to take action in order to help combat young users' feelings of inadequacy and anxiety by placing a warning on images that have been digitally manipulated.

"We're not asking these platforms to ban Photoshop or filters but rather to let people know when images have been altered so that users don't take the images on face value as real," Keracher said.

"We really want to equip young people with the tools and the knowledge to be able to navigate social media platforms not only in a positive way but in a way that promotes good mental health," he added. 

The survey concluded that while Instagram negatively affected body image, sleep patterns and added to a sense of "FOMO" -- the fear of missing out -- the image app was also a positive outlet for self-expression and self-identity for many of its young users. 
Professional YouTuber Laci Green, a health vlogger with 1.5 million subscribers, said that education surrounding mental health issues in a digital age is an educational imperative for young people.

"Because platforms like Instagram and Facebook present highly curated versions of the people we know and the world around us. It is easy for our perspective of reality to become distorted," she said. "Socializing from behind a screen can also be uniquely isolating, obscuring mental health challenges even more than usual."

Green added that it is important we lay the groundwork now to minimize potential harm as the first generation of social media users become adults.

More: http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/19/health/instagram-worst-social-network-app-young-people-mental-health/

Monday, May 22, 2017

Backpack Injury Prevention

Injury is prevented by use of stylish backpacks for college, or opting for rolling school backpacks:

By 

Backpacks are very popular now, especially with the young children and teenagers.
Even College students are carrying the books and supplies in backpacks.
Backpacks are very useful, but you have to use them the way they were design to be used.
The bags were design to distribute the weight of the load evenly among your back muscles.
Is there risk for injuries?
If the backpack is worn incorrectly or is too heavy, it can cause back problems to children and teenagers.
Improperly use of the backpack can cause muscles and joints injuries.
This can cause severe shoulders, neck and back pain.
Wearing backpack incorrectly can cause misalignment of your spine and you can end up with posture problems.
Continue reading and you will get some tips that you can us to prevent some these injuries.
Follow these simple guidelines when shopping for a backpack:
  1. Choose the right backpack
  2. Look for wide shoulder straps.
  3. Narrow straps can dig into the shoulder and this can cause pain restrict the blood circulation.
  4. Two shoulder straps is a must have.
  5. Backpack with one shoulder strap cannot distribute the weight evenly across the body.
  6. It should have a padded back to protect against any sharp object in the inside of the bag. It also helps with comfort.
  7. A waist strap to help with the distribution of the weight evenly
  8. The backpack should be lightweight.
  9. Rolling backpack is a good choice for young students who must carry heavy books and their laptop.
The main issues with rolling backpack, they going have be lift to get them up a set of stairs. How do prevent injury when wearing or carry a backpack.




  • You must always use both shoulders straps. Using only one shoulder strap can strain the back muscles.





  • Tighten the straps so that the backpack is against the back. The straps must hold the backpack about two inches above the waist.





  • Don't over pack the bag. The backpack should never weigh more a quart of the child body weight.





  • Organize the backpack so that you make use of all the compartments. Pack the heavy items to the center of the back.





  • Do not carry all you books that you need for the day. You should put some of the book that you don't immediately need in the
    school locker and take them out when you really need to use them.





  • You should never bend by the waist when carry the backpack on you back. You should bend by the knees if you to bend down.

  • Tips for parents:




  • Encourage your children to let you know when they are feeling discomfort or pain that may be cause from carry the backpack.
    Get together with other parents to exchange information and encourage your kids to make changes in the way the wear of carry
    their backpacks.





  • You can also do this if you can afford it. Buy a second set of textbooks, so that the student can have a set at home and at school.

  • I hope that this article will prevent you from having injuries.
    Louis Cremony is the CEO/Owner of [http://www.leatherbackpackbags.com] This is an online store that was establish in 2007 to meet the growing demand for leather backpacks.

    Sponsored by Better Debt, Exchange Trade, along with Antivirus tips and Bubblechezz.  As well as this and that.and Something Borrowed

    Help For Substance Abuse - Social Work Counseling Can Make a Difference For Recovery

    Column covers how to be a social worker, how long does it take to become a social worker, and the social worker requirements and usefulness for substance abuse issues:

    By 

    Social workers can work with people who are struggling with substance abuse issues as well as family members who fear addiction due to a negative family history. A social worker in this field may have clients that are addicted to heroin, crack cocaine, prescription drugs or alcohol. They may also be working with clients that have gone through rehab and are trying to maintain their gains. An addict can benefit by a counselor who can encourage and help them with finding treatment facilities or an outpatient program. Upon completion of drug addiction treatment, the client will need help with dealing with family plus adjusting back to the real world to search for a job. Often therapists will work with doctors and psychologists in team meetings to help with prescribing treatment to the client.
    Many social workers in this field find employment in prisons, treatment centers, hospitals, outpatient clinics and social services agencies. Sometimes work is needed to get the client out of denial and to fact that there is an addiction issue. For those that are already dealing with their problem, helping the client to make better choices and process their emotions in healthier ways is very important. The majority of the clients for substance abuse counseling will be addicted to street drugs and alcohol. However, now there is a growing trend of addiction to pain killer medications.
    Many people who want to pursue a career as a substance abuse social worker can get on the job training in certain settings. The minimum educational requirement for a social worker in substance abuse is a bachelor degree, also called the BSW. It would help to pursue a Master degree for high level jobs in the social work field. In addition, the course work will provide a thorough knowledge in social and substance abuse concepts, studies, theories, behavior habits related to substance abuse and research methods.
    The salary of a social worker in the substance abuse can vary depending on the location and job. Having a master's degree will give you a higher salary and being licensed also opens up more job opportunities. Getting a certification in addiction may be a requirement for certain positions as well.
    The job of a social worker in the substance abuse field can be very stressful, but rewarding. The position requires dealing with different types of people that may have a lot of rage, disappointment, suicidal ideas and difficult pasts. Also, this career requires someone that can keep information organized on patients and good records. Compassion is essential as well as a keen eye for manipulation as often someone who is vulnerable can be taken advantage of by another person. The gratitude from a client when they are thankful you helped them through a craving period can be very rewarding.
    Learn More About Social Work Roles Including Working With Addiction
    Stop by to read about Dealing with Difficult Patients as well as learn more about Forensic Social Work Jobs

    US Gambling Statistics Show Online Gambling Fun For Some, Dangerous For Others!

    Curated article on the mental health impact of online gambling, including pursuing discounts like Las Vegas USA Casino bonuses or similar great deals such as those at Royal Ace Casino Bonus Codes:


    In the United States, gambling statistics show that live and online gambling has generated as much as $91 billion per year (as of 2006). The industry is responsible for billions more in related tourist income as well as the economic benefit of hundreds of thousands of jobs. In some states, gambling through lotteries is even used to raise money for college scholarships or much-needed infrastructure projects.
    When it comes to the gambling statistics related to what kinds of games Americans are playing, there might be some surprises. While commercial casinos still take in the largest share of legal gambling revenue (43% in 2000), and lotteries take second place (28% in 2000), online gambling is estimated to bring in an amount that is roughly equal to what is spent in Indian casinos each year. As the internet reaches more homes, so does online gambling. And unfortunately, so do some of the possible negative side effects.
    People who oppose gambling in general believe that it brings higher crime rates to an area. Of course, this isn't eligible for online gambling, unless you consider the possibility of your financial information being misused or hacked. But this risk isn't any greater with online gambling than with online shopping or bill paying.
    What is a concern is compulsive gambling. Some statistics on online gambling have shown that about ½ of 1% of the population may have a problem with compulsive gambling. True compulsive gambling means that the person cannot control their impulse to make the next bet, even when they are risking their job, home, health, or relationships. And United States gambling statistics show that people are twice as likely to become addicted to gambling when a casino is located within 50 miles of their home. With the advent of online casinos, there is no longer any true distance at all between a gambler and a casino, meaning more people have the potential to become addicted to their favorite online gambling game at a higher rate than to live gambling or playing the lottery. This has lead opponents of online gaming to call it the 'crack cocaine' of the gambling world.
    This problem has a serious impact for those who suffer from it, with compulsive gambling statistics showing that as much as 48% of the members of Gamblers Anonymous have considered suicide. And of those, more than 10% report having made a suicide attempt.
    Plus, some opponents fear that there is a great deal of opportunity for money laundering and organized crime via online casinos. Since the US doesn't allow any of them to be located in the country, companies have set up shop in foreign countries with questionable, if any, regulations. Some fear that US online gamblers may be unknowingly contributing to criminal activity.
    However, for the majority of us, compulsive gambling statistics don't apply. Online gambling is just another way to enjoy the internet, and perhaps to even earn some extra spending money! If you are able to set a limit on the amount you spend and stick to it, and if you don't endanger yours or your family's financial well being with the limit you set, then chances are you will not become one of the negative gambling statistics. But if you do ever find that your online gambling affects your work, your family, your health, your finances, or your social life, then you may need to seek some professional help.
    Jean Asta is a full-time writer & management analyst for clients on several continents. She has produced thousands of articles, ebooks, and operational report. For the latest gambling updates, top 10 online casinos [http://www.casino-affairs.com/top-ten-online-casinos.html], casino odds & sports betting visit Casino-Affairs.com, an online casino guide [http://www.casino-affairs.com]

    Get Sleep Spray Video Intro

    Information on the relatively new technology of melatonin spray, and where to get sleep spray in the market. Where to buy sprayable sleep may depend on how popular and well received the product becomes over the coming months: