Today is “Cyber Monday” the Internet enabled, 21st Century equivalent to the post-Thanksgiving, dirt-world doorbusting shopping spree known as “Black Friday”. The term black Friday, coined by retailers to describe the day after Thanksgiving, was so named because the deep discounts and sales they offered were supposed to draw enough consumers to the stores to enable retailers to recoup their investments into holiday inventory. This tsunami of Holiday season shopping was supposed to put the retailers’ balance sheets into “the black” or positive territory. With the rise of e-commerce, there is now a second wave of shopping that begins (unfortunately for employers) on the Monday after Thanksgiving when many return to the office to “work” (read: shop online on the company’s time). Online retailers put out their most attractive online sale prices of the year for Cyber Monday. But in this poor economic environment, are people buying? Are you? Follow me below the fold… (more…)
The Allen School Blog
Exploring Opportunities in the World of Medical Billing and Coding
Archive for November, 2009
Black Friday-Cyber Monday, Are You Spending?
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
What is your favorite part of the Thanksgiving tradition? This blogger LIVES for stuffing!
Are you carrying cocaine in your pocket?
A group of scientists from the University of Massachusetts tested banknotes from more than 30 cities in five countries, including the United States, Canada, Brazil, China, and Japan, and found what they termed “alarming” evidence of cocaine use in many areas. For the scary details, follow me over the fold. (more…)
Senate HCR Bill Moves Forward Over Weekend
Late Saturday night, the US Senate voted to allow debate over their draft of healthcare reform legislation to begin on the floor. This is another big hurdle that proponents of reform have overcome. The Senate version of the bill still contains some version of a public option. It will be interesting to see what amendments are added during the committee process. For supporters of reform who may be feeling that the reform has been too compromised and watered down, follow me over the fold for a great breakdown of what the current draft of the Senate bill includes for all Americans. (more…)
HHS Dept Commissioned Study Says Regular Mammograms Only Needed After 50
Sweeping new U.S. breast cancer screening guidelines are calling for an end to routine mammograms for women in their 40s and for women 50 to 74 they suggest a mammogram every other year. This controversial new guideline was handed down by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a group of nongovernmental experts convened by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to review published literature and develop recommendations for the use of clinical preventive services. Coming on the heels of the controversial Stupak Amendment limiting coverage for abortions that was inserted into the House healthcare bill in the eleventh hour at the behest of Catholic Cardinals, this new guideline seems to many to be a part of a broader campaign to hack away at hard won womens’ rights. (more…)
Students Open Thread
This is your opportunity to steer the conversation here. It is a free discussion page or “open thread” for the regular readers of the Allen School Online Blog. Sound off in the comments about anything you may have on your mind whether its about learning, career, pop culture, movies, recipes or anything you’d like to bring to the community. Ask your fellow bloggers for their advice about things. You can learn from and help this community of folks, each of whom is involved in the same educational and career pursuits as you are. Or, share with me, your humble blogmaster, some ideas of what you’d like to see here on front page posts.
Follow the Money Redux
A while back I posted several pieces here and here about how an observer could gauge the relative chances of significant healthcare being passed by Congress, simply by looking at the share prices of publicly traded health insurance companies like Cigna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Humana, United Healthcare and others. Well, if anyone doubted that Wall Street was actually in a position to influence these things, follow me over the fold for iron clad proof that Wall Street wants reform to fail. (more…)
House Passes HCR Bill – Women’s Reproductive Rights Take Hit
This past Saturday night, the US House of Representatives worked all day and into the evening (it felt good to watch these people work on a weekend for once) and narrowly passed a bill aimed at reforming the broken healthcare system. In the process though, they were forced to insert an amendment (the Stupak amendment) which disallows women who would be enrolled in the public option plan from getting abortions. I am fed up with people inserting their religious preferences into legislation that effects all Americans, religious or otherwise. (more…)
Forbes Publishes “Most Toxic Cities in US” List
Forbes Magazine published a list of the most and least toxic cities in the US to live in. As a New Yorker and something of an environmentalist, I was surprised to learn we are not on the “Most” list. Even more surprised to find us on the “Least” list. Anyway, for those considering a move after graduation or a new city to launch your new career, keep this in mind when weighing quality of life against availablity of employment. List after the jump… (more…)
McCarthy & Maher – If it Quacks Like a Duck
There’s an old expression used to convey the idea that what appears obvious is frequently the truth. The expression goes, “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it must be a duck”. Well, this bit of folk wisdom is not to be trusted. Especially when it comes to the claims of, well, quacks! That is, purveyors of bogus medical items. From phony H1N1 “swine flu” cures online, to aisles upon aisles of homeopathic “remedies”, unregulated by the FDA on shelves in pharmacies across the country, people are frequently taken in by sales pitches that seem completely plausible. (more…)
