The FBI has announced defendant, Lenka Slepickova, of Miami Beach, Florida, pled guilty before United States District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga in Miami, to one count of health care fraud conspiracy. The case stemmed from a fraudulent clinical laboratory billing scheme involving Washington Medical Laboratory, Inc. formerly located in Hallandale Beach, Florida. According to information filed with the Court, Slepickova and her co-conspirators submitted more than $2,100,000 in fraudulent Medicare claims from 2004 through 2006.
In April 2007, United States District Marcia G. Cooke sentenced Slepickova's employer and laboratory owner Marcelo de Jesus Serrano to a 57-month term of imprisonment for his role in the health care fraud scheme. Serrano also forfeited in excess of $2.8 million in cash and stock holdings.
Slepickova is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15, 2008. Slepickova faces a maximum punishment of 10 years' imprisonment on the count for which she was convicted.
(From FBI release March 14, 2008)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Medical biller from Miami pleads guilty in laboratory scam
Friday, March 14, 2008
Alabama firm recalls poultry giblets that may be adulterated
From the US Food Safety and Inspection service, notice of a recall. Cagle's Inc., a Collinsville, Ala., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 943,000 pounds of various fresh and frozen poultry giblets and fresh carcasses with giblets inserted that may be adulterated due to improper disposition of the giblets, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.
Anytime you got the words carcasses, gizzards and hearts in a recall notice, you know you have a serious problem. Read the whole release and product information at the USDA-FSIS Website.
I don't even want to know what "improper disposition of the giblets" means.
Orlando hotel closed because two guests contract Legionnaires' Disease
The Quality Suites at 7400 Canada Ave. in Orlando has shut down and relocated guests because two guests contracted Legionnaires' Disease. The hotel near Universal Studios and Seaworld Orlando is located in an area popular with tourists. TV station Local6.com (Orlando) says no other cases have been reported. The disease can be treated with antibiotics, and some people such as smokers or those with compromised immune systems have a higher risk. Legionnaires' is a type of bacterial pneumonia. Medline Plus (National Institutes of Health) says you usually get it by breathing in mist from water that contains the bacteria. The mist may come from hot tubs, showers or air-conditioning units for large buildings. The bacteria don't spread from person to person. There's extensive information at the Medline Plus site and also at the US government's Occupational Safety and Health Administration pages.
Personally, I think hotels should have windows you can open. Water is a culprit if it's in your room or HVAC system. Years ago, cases of Legionnaires' in Orlando were traced to a fountain in a hotel--the spray was contaminated. Hot tubs can also infect people. Irregular maintenance of fountains and hot tubs can set up conditions favorable to this bacteria. This disease would definitely throw a big wrench in your vacation plans.
St. Johns River Celebration Sat. March 15—Call for volunteers
Volunteers are needed for the 13th annual St. Johns River Celebration cleanup event. Participants will spend the morning collecting litter and debris from more than 20 pre-selected riverfront and inland sites around the city. A list of sites is posted at the City of Jacksonville Website.
When: Saturday, March 15
Time: 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., cleanup
Locations: (20) waterfront sites – suggestions: 1133 Ionia Street, 510 W. Sixth Street, 8508 Beach Blvd (kayaks and canoes only)
Part of the Florida Great American Cleanup, this event is one of many national and regional volunteer efforts to clean and protect the environment. Tickets may be redeemed for refreshments and t-shirts (while supplies last) at an appreciation event following the cleanup. This event provides an opportunity for students to satisfy community service requirements. Scouts may earn badges for two volunteer hours at the cleanup (while supplies last). Participants must be over 18 years of age or accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration is not required.A city spokesperson says, “Annually, we see an average of 1000 volunteers working together to clean up the river. Last year, we pulled almost 35,000 pounds of debris from the St. Johns River. “
(photo 'Casting on the St. Johns' copyright/2008KayB.Day) Sphere: Related Content
Blog newspaper selects interesting stories to save you time
We discovered a site by way of a link to ours. The Issue bills itself as ‘The Blog Newspaper.’ First thing I thought was why didn’t I think of that? What’s great for the reader is the human touch—the editors select stories each day from the blog world to create a “borderless newspaper.”
Appropriately noting that about 99% of the approximately 70 million blogs on the Web are junk, editors at The Issue also note about 40% of online readers read blogs. They also note that beneath the junk pile, there are gems.
I think it’s great there’s a site gleaning quality posts for readers—there seems to be an emphasis on writing that no other site or tracking tool on the Web considers. I know because I just finished researching and interviewing Website ratings organizations for an upcoming column at The Writer. Not one considers the quality of the writing when page ranks are determined. So The Issue fills a need, in my opinion. While the site doesn't rank blogs, I think if your story is selected, there's an implied rank in that.
I had fun at The Issue this afternoon, discovering sites like Zooillogix (science) and Michigan Hunting Today. The neatest thing is that now I can bop over to The Issue each morning and scan the headlines to see what’s happening in the blog world the same way I read the print newspaper with my coffee. Besides text, there're also videos and photographs. Kudos to the site creators for a great idea well-executed.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Florida voters’ message was heard and DNC wobbled on strategy
Talk flies right now about the impact of Florida’s early primary on national politics. What will the Democratic National Party do? Hard-liners say Florida should be punished—we were warned by both political parties at the national level. The irony is the primary had little effect on the Republican nomination but it may have a cataclysmic effect on the Democratic nomination. Because whatever solution is worked out, one candidate must emerge supreme and it is likely the losing side will hold a grudge. Chalk this up to strategic error on the part of the DNC.
There’s a lot to be said for wisdom. The Repubs, trying to avoid the equivalent of Friday Night Fights, ruled early on. Okay, you went against our wishes but we’ll give you half your delegates. It was only a victory because McCain had such a wide lead. Had Romney been closer, we’d be talking about the GOP vote too. The Dems, apparently welcoming the equivalent of Friday Night Fights, made their ruling. No way. You broke the rules you pay the price. That was the first political mistake by the DNC. Because Florida set a primary date exactly the way first place title-holder New Hampshire did. Our legislature enacted a law—the only difference being we didn’t word our law so no other state could hold a primary before ours. We like to be broad-minded down here in The Sunshine State.
Florida sent a clear message to both national parties. Somebody needed to. No political party should tell a state when to hold a primary as long as it all comes down before the convention. Primaries have been moved repeatedly by other states, and the votes counted. Take a look at this article in The Washington Post and tell me this isn’t one savagely stupid process for selecting a presidential candidate. And take a look at the Democratic National Committee once a decision is made about Florida. Somebody’s gonna have to pick a candidate and the delegates don’t even have to go by the popular vote. Bad strategy.
Sad state of affairs as people seeking housing vouchers in Boca Raton turned away
Boca Raton made the news yesterday in a definitely negative way. Hundreds of people had come to the Boca Raton Housing Authority as early as 8 hours before the time set for handing out vouchers. The HA had set 9 a.m. as the start time. But The Palm Beach Post said, “The agency, worried about the size of the crowd, decided about 2 a.m. to hand out about 500 applications and reserve some for later.”
Based on the video link at the end of this column, I think most of the applicants were young, single mothers. When the vouchers ran out, the crowd, described as numbering about 500 by the newspaper, became angry. In addition to police, nearly 50 firefighters and paramedics were on the scene.
One thing that might have helped: a Web site. There’s a general impression that poor people aren’t Web literate. But that isn’t the case in my opinion. Even if you don’t have a computer, you can go to the library and use one. A distinct site for the HA—at the least, a page on the city Web site—might help. I phoned the HA today and they confirmed they don’t have a Web site, but listings for housing can be found at the site gosection8.com. If you visit that site and do a search for Boca Raton housing, you’ll see why there were so many people there for vouchers. Rent is high in that area and this type of housing is limited.
From what I saw, the police did a good job. There were few injuries and no deaths. It’s my opinion the city and county need to assist the HA with whatever needs to be done. If faith-based groups will help, let them. And it’s a good idea next time to have a plan in place if vouchers are limited—screen applicants ahead of time if necessary. And above all, give those applicants a specific local Web site and clear contact information. At this moment, the phone number for the HA is incorrect on the city’s own site. The correct phone number is 561-206-6200.
Poor people in Boca Raton are obviously desperate for housing, a need that must be addressed by local government. The cops, paramedics and firefighters should not be necessary to the voucher process.
The video could also be used to another end. Show it in classrooms and churches—let teens both male and female see the plight of women who have nowhere to turn trying to raise children on their own, waiting in line for government mercy. The movie industry loves to make films showing a young unmarried woman getting pregnant and ending up all happy-happy. That’s art not life.
**Watch the video at the Palm Beach Post.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
“Barack, Paper, Scissors!” makes debut courtesy of the USARPS League and Bud Light
The official governing body for Rock, Paper, Scissors, appropriately calling itself the USA Rock Paper Scissors League, has come up with an online game wherein Sen. Barack Obama battles President George W. Bush, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sen. John McCain and even Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a serious rock, paper, scissors battle for the White House. No, the amazing Obama does not battle them all at one time. And yes, I did advance Sen. McCain’s name a bit because it was dead last in the press release after the gov and the Iranian prez. Obviously, the USARPS League has a bit of Obama-mania going on.
At any rate, the game is sorta’ fun. Play it yourself and let me know how you do. George Bush won every time I played. Heckuva way to promo your candidate, though. Is there a league for tiddly winks? Maybe they could come up with a game where the candidates are a wink and you try to catapult 'em into a cup. Play the 'Barack, Paper, Scissors' game at the league Web site. I didn't register. You can breeze in and play as a guest if you don't want to keep track of your scores. And I can't imagine that you would.
I'm wondering too what McCain's peeps might come up with. Maybe Red Rover, Red Rover, send Ahmadinejad right over? Options for candidates as follows: Obama would have a cup of tea with him, Clinton would yell at him and McCain would just knock him out. Looks like Budweiser sponsored the RPS League. Once you finish your game, you can remove your tongue from your cheek.
Photo shows official USA RPS League trophy from the 2007 competition. Yeah, we'd love to have that in our den.
Scroll down to read stories posted earlier today about allergies and new bathroom regulations for Florida.
Florida legislature wants travelers and residents to have top quality bathroom experience
The Florida legislature is busy with bills relating to guns and metal recyclers, but one proposal is sure to please travelers and residents who can’t wait. Florida bottoms will be greeted by cleaner restrooms in public food establishments because SB 386 has been unanimously and probably enthusiastically approved by the Committee on Regulated Industries.
Among other things, the bill provides for inspections and it requires that the route to the bathroom not take a patron through food prep areas, that hand soap and paper towels be available, and [drum roll, please] toilet paper be placed in each and every stall. Let us now sing Halleluiah for that last, but it should be a controlled song of praise. The new bill won’t apply to airport bathrooms. Those have been the stuff of my nightmares at times, though not here in Jax. I can honestly say the bathrooms at Jacksonville International Airport are fit for a celebrity. Or something like that.
I'd say SB 386 is a good bill for a tourism state. And a good one for this traveler as well. You shoulda' seen a bathroom I encountered near Richmond, VA. I still have nightmares about it.
Allergy season rolls into Florida: time for a sneeze
It’s like clockwork. We go into daylight savings mode and allergy season sets in.
This weekend, I was outside tweaking and pinching my plants. They were covered in yellow dust, also known as pollen. My hound Shadow was as usual attached to my own shadow. He follows me everywhere. After an hour or so of plant redeeming and tossing the football for my pup, I glanced down at him as we headed for the door. He too was covered in yellow dust. It took me about half an hour to comb and brush it out of his fur.Pets are a major way pollen slips into your home. But there are other factors and an article at Web MD introduced me to a few I hadn’t thought of. For instance your spouse. We’ve all heard jokes about a spouse being allergic to her mate, but that can actually be true if your mate has a job whereby chemical irritants get on his clothing. Carpet is another offender, one reason we’ve spent months replacing all the carpet in our house with hardwood and tile. Of course, you also go through sniffles sometimes when new materials are put down in your house. And those plug-in air fresheners? Forget that. Those things drive my nose up the wall.
Pollen bothers me a little; a plant expert once told me hardwood trees are actually the worse offenders. I deal with it by using the saline nasal spray every night and by tolerating it. I never found an allergy med I could pleasantly tolerate, but then I tend to distrust most meds that aren’t essential to saving your life. In addition, I vacuum the window sills. In Northeast Florida, for much of the year, we can leave our windows open, another benefit of living here. Pollen of course gets on the sills.
I also confess I approach pollen head-on. It hasn’t killed me yet. I love being outdoors, so maybe tolerance develops over time. I read something surprising at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital site on the Web—allergic problems in the United States are the 6th leading common cause of chronic disease. Imagine the healthcare dollars spent on that.
If you have a tip for those suffering from allergies, do share.
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Tuesday, March 11, 2008
How to keep pharmaceuticals out of our water
The Florida Dept.of Health sent out a timely announcement today. With all the news about pharmaceuticals in our drinking water and watersheds, FDOH is reminding us you shouldn’t flush those pills you didn’t take. Nor should you pour your liquid medication down a drain. Instead, medications should be discarded in household trash.
FDOH says many medications contain compounds also known as microconstituents that may be found in very low concentrations in surface water, ground water, domestic wastewater, industrial wastewater, agricultural runoff, reclaimed water, and other waters. Pharmaceuticals in water is not a new topic, but State Surgeon General Ana M. Viamonte Ros acknowledges, “Current media coverage on the topic may prompt concern among consumers. So far, these chemicals have been found at extremely low concentrations and current research has not demonstrated an impact on human health at the trace levels at which they have been found.”It’s important to know how to dispose of meds. To properly dispose of unwanted household medications, FDOH advises:
oKeep the medicines in the original container. This will help identify the contents if they are accidentally ingested.
oMark out your name and prescription number for safety.
oFor pills, add water or soda to start dissolving them. For liquids, add something inedible like cat litter, dirt or cayenne pepper.
oClose the lid and secure with duct or packing tape.
oPlace the bottle(s) inside an opaque container like a coffee can or plastic laundry bottle.
oTape that container closed.
oHide the container in the trash. Do not put in the recycle bin.
Disposal of unwanted medications from commercial facilities such as pharmacies, medical facilities and veterinary operations are subject to different regulations than those that apply to medications from household uses. Those commercial facilities should contact the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Waste Management, for guidance.
For more information on the proper disposal of unwanted medications, visit these pages at FDEP.
Florida legislators hope to make possession of Salvia Divinorum a felony
The latest in a long line of substances that can make a person feel “otherwordly” is a type of Salvia the Associated Press says “could be the new marijuana.” Legislatures in a number of states, including Florida, are considering bills that would make possession of Salvia Divinorum a felony. Reportedly, the high that comes from smoking this type of Salvia resembles the high those who use LSD have experienced. One teen in Delaware, according to Fox Channel 4 (Cape Coral), killed himself because of Salvia. At least that’s what his mother told media.
I’m having a problem understanding why, considering the options some teens have to get high, Salvia is a big concern. Some teens will experiment with anything. The best line of defense here is the parent. Adding to the list of substances law enforcement will have to be trained to identify, log and keep up with in the evidence room seems overkill to me. Especially when you consider all the legal ways teens and adults have at their disposal, not the least of which are entirely legal prescription drugs that are at least as dangerous if not more dangerous than some of the drugs classified as illegal. Certain cough medicines, other herbs, inhalants, illegally obtaining alcohol—those are all at the risk-taker’s disposal. The war on drugs has done little, in my opinion, to stem self-destruction.
A Clemson University fact sheet says there are over 900 species of Salvia. The only thing I know about Salvia is that hummingbirds like it; I usually stick some in the ornamentals on my deck.
I hope legislators talk to horticulturists. The plant is in the ecosystem and I have no idea whether any species depends on it or what value it has in the scheme of things. I do know there is widespread silence about the biggest killer of teens. That honor goes to traffic crashes. If you’re really interested in saving teen lives, the car is the place to start. Alcohol would run a close second. After that, check out the medicine cabinet. And I could go on and on.
Monday, March 10, 2008
GOP Dream Theme: Sharpton may sue DNC and a percentage of 1.7 million Florida Democrats are going to be highly annoyed
Al Sharpton’s threatening the Democratic National Committee with a lawsuit. If Hillary Clinton doesn’t win the nomination in a manner Sharpton approves, he told Bill O’Reilly on Fox News he may even leave the Democratic Party.
Meanwhile, Florida is toying with the idea of a mail-in revote for the primary Sen. Hillary Clinton won in January. Sen. Bill Nelson has worked hard to try to inject reason into a very conflicted situation. The revote would be paid for by private donations. Either way, some (many?) of the 1.7 million Democratic voters in The Sunshine State will be annoyed. Florida voted in a completely legal primary, following other states by moving its primary ahead. Florida’s legislature voted to move the date ahead. That’s how New Hampshire gets to go first—their legislature voted on it.
New Hampshire is really special. Dig this statement from Seacoast Online (part of Ottaway Newspapers): In 1977, the state legislature sanctioned the primary’s first in the nation status by enacting a law that "eliminates any possible future encroachment on the state’s being first" by being held "on the Tuesday at least seven days immediately preceding the date on which any other state shall hold a similar election, whichever is earlier." Over the years, primary date (sic) has changed from early March to various dates in February and finally into January in the 2004 primary.
So New Hampshire called dibs on being first in the primaries in '77 when Jimmy Carter was president. And since then, their date has changed several times, they've got first position in a headlock and they didn't expect to be called on it? Some might say Florida and Michigan did a good thing (following California, New York and others who've done the same thing.)
GOP strategists have to be enjoying this. It’s a ‘dream theme’ for the campaign once (when?) a Dem nominee is finally decided.
Meanwhile, would somebody please explain to me where in the constitution it says New Hampshire can tell the rest of the United States when to hold a primary? Doesn't that sound sort of UN-democratic to you?
You can push through the first part of this; interview with Sharpton comes after O'Reilly talks.
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Web site wants you to rate cops in your community
What will they think of next? The Web site Rate my Cop bills itself as a watchdog group to compile info on law enforcement and offer the public a forum. I really can't imagine trying to be a cop in today's world. What I'd really like to see someone come up with: rate my judge or rate my IRS agent. Rate my Cop should provide some interesting entertainment in weeks to come. I clicked on the state of New York and got lots of information about bail bondsmen. Maybe the site is still so new there aren't a lot of ratings posted. Never a dull moment on the worldwide Web. I'd love to see a Rate-my-Cop for Iranian police.
Sphere: Related Content‘Drug Kingpin’ convicted for importing thousands of kilograms of cocaine
The US Department of Justice announced the conviction of Samuel Knowles, described by DOJ as a ‘drug kingpin’, for importing thousands of kilograms of cocaine. Forfeiture was ordered in the amount of $13,900,000, which represents the money received in exchange for and used to facilitate the distribution of narcotics. Knowles' sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 23, 2008. Knowles faces a maximum statutory sentence of life imprisonment on each count. He was found guilty on two counts in the indictment.
Knowles was extradited from the Bahamas on September 7, 2006 on federal narcotics charges. According to the evidence, Knowles was a participant in a conspiracy between 1995 and 1996 to import several thousand kilograms of cocaine into the United States by using "go fast" vessels. Knowles and his co-conspirators used various routes in the Caribbean to facilitate their importation scheme.
One kilogram equals approximately 2.2 lbs. So the importers were hauling lots of cocaine—more than a ton in fact. The FBI and the US Drug Enforcement Administration worked jointly on the investigation. The federal case was tried in the Southern District of Florida.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Face to face with colorful Spiny orb-weaver in my Florida yard
A couple weeks ago I went out to feed Chickie and came face to face with this Spiny orb-weaver. The web was in our oleander. The photo doesn’t do the spider justice—there are a lot of spots on this strange, crablike spider when you’re as close as I was. The natural history at a University of Florida Extension page says they’re not technically crab spiders. The body just physically resembles the shell of a crab. I stood there for awhile watching the spider and watching the chicken eat. Sun was shining—it was very early in the morning. A nice chill in the air. Cup of hot coffee in my hand. The very best kind of start to the day. Miss Spider posed patiently for my camera.
