Doctors have warned that plans for "brutal " NHS cuts are shrouded in secrecy and will cause uproar once revealed. The British Medical Association (BMA) says health service leaders have refused to publish details of the proposals that could extend waiting times, reduce access to services, cut down on prescriptions and treatments, and even merge or close hospitals and facilities. The proposals are being discussed under the capped expenditure process, which was introduced this year to cap NHS spending in some areas in order to meet so-called "control total" budgets in 2017-18. The BMA submitted Freedom of Information requests to NHS Improvement and each of the 13 areas, asking for the proposal documents. Eight of the 13 areas responded but, according to the BMA, none of them provided the full document or any significant details. BMA council deputy chairman Dr David Wrigley said: "These plans could have serious consequences for doctors working on the frontline and for the care and treatment patients receive and can expect in hospitals and GP surgeries in these areas. "It is bad enough that brutal cuts could threaten the services, but it is totally unacceptable that proposals of this scale, which would affect large numbers of patients, are shrouded in such secrecy." He added the Government should stop and think before pressing ahead with the process. Speaking anonymously to the BMA, one trust chairman with oversight of the process of drawing up the plans in his area, said: "We were descended on and asked to think the unthinkable in no time at all. The NHS seems to go into a zone of secrecy as an automatic reaction. "That's the thing that really upsets me—the secrecy of it all and the ridiculous pace in which solutions are to be crafted and agreed. It's the management culture too, it's all hierarchical power and bullying. Even the most modest proposals would cause uproar." An NHS spokesman said: "While this report is just recycling old claims from several months ago, the NHS has always had to live within the budget that Parliament allocates, and the usual requirements for public consultation on any suggested major service reconfigurations of course continue to apply. "However, it is grossly unfair if a small number of areas in effect take more than their fair share at the expense of other people's hospital services, GP care and mental health clinics elsewhere in the country." http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/doctors-bma-warn-brutal-nhs-cuts-government-a7863831.html.............. More fuel for the capitalism versus socialism economic debate. If this is true, the details could have a strong influence on the healthcare discussion in the US. This is the first time I've heard of the UK or any nation with socialist run healthcare planning to scale back operations on a massive scale. |
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I think a universal basic income is needed.
Universal Basic Income may be a question of whether a private sector can create jobs more efficiently and effectively than a state can provide welfare. New programs like UBI require the introduction of new tax hikes to create a revenue stream. This can be a real issue in countries like the united states where many support single payer healthcare but few support additional tax hikes for funding purposes. |
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He's one of the world's greatest boxers by most standards – and he just took to social media to promote an upcoming initial coin offering (ICO). Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who earned a number of boxing records in his years on the professional circuit, is set to fight boxer Conor McGregor in a highly-billed match on August 26. In a photo shared on Instagram just over an hour ago, Mayweather predicted that he would "make a $hit t$n of money" as a result of that fight – a comment made while seated in front of what appears to be a significant pile of money on a private jet. Yet, in the same message, he also predicts that he will also strike it big during the ICO for Stox, a prediction market project that is launching its sale on August 2. Here's the full Instagram post:  It's an notable statement given that, just days prior, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that ICOs are subject to its rules and that, in some cases, tokens could be deemed securities. The question that remains is – is it real? And if so, how involved is Mayweather in the project? While surprising, it's not unheard of for a major boxer to be involved in cryptocurrency, with Mike Tyson even once backing a bitcoin ATM. A representative for Mayweather wasn't immediately available for comment when reached. ICO's are heating up.  What are everyone's thoughts on this? Floyd Mayweather Jr is definitely a whale. I know nothing about stox.com. I hope its a successful venture but with the SEC's latest rulings on ICO's falling under their jurisdiction with perhaps an intent to enforce legislation/regulation in that area, perhaps its safe to say there is cause for concern? |
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In the past, when I had more btc, I thought about giving some of it away to people I liked for free.
I hoped gradually they might realize how great it is & educate others.
That could still work if someone could find the right people to get involved in crypto who would help it flourish and grow.
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For those holding a lot of btc, I would recommend investing a portion of it to diversify and hedge against worst case scenarios.
It wouldn't necessarily have to be a big investment. It could be possible to start a small side business with as little as $100.
If the worst btc doomsday scenario happens, some portion of the btc bankroll surviving in the form of a spin off, could be nice.
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Its been said GPU mining is more feasible with BTC's jump from $1,000 to $2,500. The upswing in average crypto value which arose as a result is also a big factor.
The double in price could be roughly proportional to mining difficulty halving in terms of cost effectivenes: time & electricity measured against profit.
I like some of AMD's past innovations. Can't say I've kept up much with what they've been up to. I've heard complaints about AMD's screen capture technology. AMD also may not be as well supported as radeon in terms of raytracing and other utilities. For straight gaming and crypto mining AMD could be a solid product though.
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Video games seem addictive, similar to gambling. Taking up a new addiction like video games, which costs less than gambling, could be a good approach. I can't say I've crossed that bridge yet. The world is an intriguing place, there are many interesting and entertaining things in it. For those who wish to quit gambling there must be something worthwhile and exciting out there somewhere.
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Hope all 3 title fights on this card go better than Amanda Nunes vs Valentina Shevchenko did.
DC vs Jones and Woodley vs Maia are difficult fights to break down analytically. Its tough to guess how the wrestling/grappling portion of those fights will proceed. Jones doesn't look as confident as he normally does going into fights. Maybe its because his mother recently passed away due to diabetes? DC looks slimmer. He's leaner to make his weight cut easier. I don't think anyone's giving Tonya Evinger a chance against Cyborg.
Someone said the UFC is doing Alvarez vs Gaethje season of ultimate fighter to feed Alvarez to Gaethje because they like Gaethje's exciting fight style and want to promote him. Don't know if that's true but it is an interesting analysis.
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I wonder sometimes if gambling helps my money management. It could help make more rational decisions. Many losing bets are made on emotion rather than objective thinking. Greed is also a big cause of loss for me, which could help me to recognize and mitigate that. It also brings up interesting philosophical questions in terms of whether its moral to gamble and try to win *something for nothing*.
Gambling can carry a negative stigma in terms of western society and culture. I'm not certain where that comes from. Drugs, alcohol, tobacco & many things society seems perfectly "ok" with can be more damaging than gambling. I think I wouldn't mind if my kids or people I know gambled, it could teach good life lessons.
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I think people confuse capitalism with wealth inequality. Two distinctly different & separate topics.
There have been prosperous eras of capitalism where wealth inequality was extremely low. Past eras of high wealth/wage inequality were marked by class warfare & revolution. To help put things into perspective, during the dark ages working class peasants/serfs enjoyed as many as 189 official holidays/days off from work. In the modern era, the average worker might enjoy 104 holidays/days off from work per year. This invokes instances where benefits reaped from advancing technology & productivity do not trickle down to the poor or middle class.
One issue with the modern era is digitization and proliferation of information on a worldwide scale making it easier for wealth inequality to flourish. Consumers & average people don't often use technology or the internet to plan boycotts, unionization, pooling of resources and other cooperative efforts to further their plans or make life better for themsleves. Large corporations, banks, states however do use the internet and communication to coordinate and push many agendas which benefit themselves.
In virtually all instances where capitalism is blamed for something, its easy to substitute wealth/wage inequality as a better explanation.
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If they really are down due to moneylaundering concerns it will be a serious blow to bitcoin.
Btc-e servers are in russia. Russia's policies are very different from those of western nations. They don't support massive numbers of illegal immigrants migrating into russia. They chose to embrace technologies like blockchain. The opposite of what the united states is doing with senate bill 1241. I think russia also does not have the restrictive and oppressive programs implemented by the west to "prevent" money laundering. Truth be told, HSBC bank has been caught laundering money for drug cartels, terrorists and other illicit groups for more than a decade. Its easy to find evidence proving this via google. No effort has ever been made to stop them. |
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Exchanges charge a percentage for withdrawal of funds. Usually withdrawal fee is around 5% mark. Personal wallets charge a transaction fee which is much lower than the 5% exchanges charge.
Personal wallets tend to be more secure if you're using one which gives you exclusive control over the private key required for transaction validation. Wallets also have more options in terms of how crypto data associated with accounts can be stored, encrypted or recovered. Note: the above doesn't apply to all wallets. Blockchain and assorted web platform based wallets hold the private key to move funds stored on their servers. With internet wallets, there isn't much difference between them and exchanges except for withdrawal fee.
Most of the customization options with wallets come from using desktop & similar wallets, hardware based wallets, etc.
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If this is true, I would guess its trolling or they'll experiment & try to come up with clever and ingenious ways to turn approximately 100 btc into 10,000 btc for laughs. Incidentally, I wonder what happens to crypto law enforcement seizes from dream market, alpha bay & other sources. If senate bill 1241 is anything to go by, anyone in an *official position* could potentially walk away with millions in crypto seized by law enforcement without any problems. Free money. It will be interesting to see what happens to the crypto seized by law enforcement in raids.
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Legitimate sources are saying McGregor vs Mayweather will be the biggest fight of all time. In terms of betting it could be bigger than the superbowl which is the biggest sporting event in the united states(not certain how it stacks up on a global scale). Its amazing to think about Conor and how 4-5 years ago no one knew who he was. What Conor has accomplished in the last 4-5 years is nothing short of amazing no matter what the skeptics or critics say. Interesting article about Conor vs Floyd betting, etc: The Super Bowl is annually the biggest betting event of the year in the U.S. This year, though, it may be eclipsed by a boxing match.
Kevin Bradley, the sports book manager of Bovada.lv, said betting on Mayweather-McGregor has been massive already.
“We knew this fight would be big, potentially even bigger than the Super Bowl, but now we are almost certain it will be,” Bradley said. “The recent trash talking and promotional tour is only encouraging bets and at this rate we cannot even imagine how much we will take on it. One thing is for sure thought, we will need Mayweather huge. A McGregor early round KO as he promised would be a potential disaster and is partly a reason we are giving a great price on Mayweather at the moment.”
Bovada released a slew of wagering possibilities, but the odds on McGregor have dropped significantly. Mayweather is down to minus-500, while McGregor is now at plus-350.
Amazingly, a prop bet on whether Mayweather will be knocked down or out is only at plus-350. Mayweather is 49-0 and has only been down once in his career, and that came when he intentionally touched the canvas with his glove in the final round of a fight he was winning big because his hand was injured and he wanted a brief break. https://sports.yahoo.com/mayweather-mcgregor-betting-potentially-bigger-super-bowl-192026928.html |
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*********** SPOILER ALERT ***********
*******************************************
Sansa has played a stereotypical role of damsel in distress throughout the series. Sansa has always been in trouble & has never been able to save herself without relying on others. I hope Sansa is able to do something cool for once. But I get the feeling Sansa will get into trouble once again & Arya will have to save her.
People were upset over Theon abandoning his sister. BUT Asha abandoned Theon first when Theon tried to hold Winterfell. Theon and his sister are even now! I think that's hilarious even though I probably shouldn't laugh about it.
I'm thinking the prophecy must refer to Jon Snow or Daenerys but statistically Cersei looks to be ahead as far as the war goes with Euron capturing Asha and the queen of dorne.
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Ending the hard fork debate would contribute heavily towards reducing volatility. A high proportion of price shifts and volatility are correlated with hard fork announcements. Other common themes affecting volatility are announcements regarding countries legalizing/banning crypto, SEC announcements involving crypto ETF's, announcements relating to seizing of crypto without checks & balances such as senate bill 1241, national debt and associated fiat volatility et al.
As with stocks & investments news events are the biggest contributor to volatility.
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 This quotation might be relevent. One neglected facet of the fiat vs crypto discussion may be the potential to which control over money supplies translate to political influence. Btc is decentralized and deregulated in ways which could mitigate some of these risks. A hard fork could change that if miners became more centralized and developers were appointed via having self interests paralleling miner goals, rather than existing as a more decentralized paradigm. Banking cartels have been centralized for a long time. It is possible economic growth, wealth equality as well as living standards were marktedly higher before that centralization took place. |
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I still think true hard forks should be treated similar to stock splits where the supply doubles with value decreasing by half.
With a crypto split there would likely be additional chaos and price devaluation. A crypto split is like microsoft splitting into 2 separate, smaller, entities then battling to the death to determine who survives. The split isn't on friendly terms. Its counter productive and wasteful. And it could be accurate to say a split is motivated mainly by greed and usurpers attempting to gain control than it is by good intentions.
A hard fork is essentially a civil war. There's a reason the price of btc falls massively everytime a fork is threatened. The savvy investors know what a fork means and it doesn't imply anything good.
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The best investment strategy I've found is buy and hold. Second best strategy: arbitrage across exchanges. (Buying low on one exchange, selling high on another) Shorting strats have potential for those who can accurately read highs before a substantial decline. Short plays might require insider knowledge in terms of fork scheduling, senate bills like 1241 which affect crypto to pull off successfully. Events behind price declines can be difficult if not impossible to predict in advance without inside knowledge/contacts.
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Bitcoin's price shooting up indicates there isn't enough support for a fork. If the price declines again, it means hard forkers gained enough support to be a possibility. Hard fork is the main cause of btc's price declining from a historical perspective. Denial of hard fork is a major cause of btc's price rising also.
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