Your World According To Dr. Castro

Giro d'Italia 2012 Stage 17 LIVE

2012-05-23T07:39:00.001-07:00

Basso is controling the pace right now even though he lost two of his main team-mates!

http://ping.fm/MrSgf

From: http://ping.fm/KQUNm

2012-05-23T07:33:00.001-07:00

Dra Martha Castro http://ping.fm/Xi2J7

Superheroes and The Giro de Italia

2012-05-09T20:14:00.001-07:00

I love superheroes, they are stronger than the average human and have a special ability such as being able to fly, change shape, throw fire or create storms, and on it goes. They also get to wear cool costumes and of course their bodies look perfect with muscles and waistlines to envy. In everyday life, for the most part, they can function with the appearance of an everyday person (of course there are always exceptions!) and not be bothered by people who want a favor.

Well, you ask yourself, what does this have to do with the Giro de Italia (Tour of Italy)? Professional cyclists for me are superheroes because they have super human abilities: they ride for about three weeks with only a few rest days, they average almost 200km/day give or take a few kilometers, they climb soaring mountains in all weather conditions, and they get to wear cool uniforms, plus they are in amazing physical condition, to me they are superheroes!

Benvenuti al Giro d’Italia!

Bienvenido al Giro de Italia!

Welcome to The Tour of Italy!

From: http://ping.fm/mjFg8

Cyclist Salome Reyes Killed by Bus Driver in Ecuador

2012-04-30T05:57:00.001-07:00

Salomé Reyes, an elite pro-cyclist from Ecuador, dies yesterday Friday 28 at 3:00 pm Ecuador time. She was riding her bicycle when a bus driver hit her and then went over her killing her. Guess what the bus driver did after killing Reyes? Yes, you guessed ritht: he fled the crime scene and he is not where to be found at this moment.

Salomé Reyes (people called her Princesita -little princess) was part of the cycling team MYBIKE TREK in Ecuador. She was well known there and admired by many due to her passion for cycling.
Salomé Reyes
“Siempre fui citadina. La bici me ha permitido salir, recorrer y
conocer al Ecuador”
El hecho de que tenga una carpeta de fotos de ella y su bici en el Facebook y que le llame, “mi princesita”, debería ser suficiente para graficar el gusto que ella tiene por este deporte. En realidad, todos quienes le conocen saben que no pueden dejar de lado su afición por la bicicleta. Pese a que empezó a pedalear tan solo hace 3 años -pues se lesionó trotando y comenzó a hacer cycling-, este deporte se ha convertido en una parte esencial de su vida. Comenzó con una montañera y al año se compró la rutera. Nos confiesa que no puede elegir entre las dos. “Cuando estoy en la montañera, esa es mi favorita. Y cuando me subo en la rutera, es la rutera”. Salomé nos dice que todo es un tema de balance y organización. Su trabajo como odontopediatra le permite un horario flexible en el que puede incorporar sus entrenamientos. Entrena con RPM y es con ellos que planifica sus salidas del fin de semana. Muchas cosas han cambiado en la vida de Salomé gracias al ciclismo. “Para bien”, añade ella. Uno de estos aspectos es su vida social. “Yo era muy buena para una fiesta pero ahora, si me preguntan qué prefiero, si farra o pedaleada, la verdad es que ni dudo. Prefiero la bicicleta”, dice. Sus amigos y familiares saben que sus bicis son parte prioritaria de su vida. Tanto que ha dejado de ir a fiestas, cumpleaños y hasta matrimonios con tal de salir a pedalear. Y la verdad es que es una cosa difícil de explicar. “Mis amigos creo que piensan que estoy loca (ríe). Se que solo quienes son ciclistas pueden entender el gusto que uno tiene por este deporte”.
Nombre de tu bici: (tanto la rutera como la mtb) “La princess”
El próximo gadget que te quieres comprar: Una 29er
La carrera que sueñas: Quiero hacer el Camino de Santiago de Compostela en bici
Ciclista que admiras: Andy Schleck

My heart goes out to her family and friends, and a piece of my cycling heart goes with her.
Rest in peace, Salomé Reyes.

From: http://ping.fm/YGrsY

Mental Health Center for Youth in San Francisco Is Closing

2012-04-22T14:32:00.001-07:00

Fourteen San Francisco teenagers who have been living in a locked mental health treatment program — children with traumatic backgrounds who require so much care that most other programs turned them away — are being moved. The Seneca Center Community Treatment Facility at San Francisco General Hospital will close permanently by May 16, after the city cut $900,000, almost a third of its budget.

From: http://ping.fm/LRBuR

Wall Street sheds 1400 workers in March

2012-04-20T18:25:00.001-07:00

"It's not the large falloff people were predicting a year
ago," said James Brown, a labor market analyst with the
department.

"We have been getting layoffs announcements, so I assume the
trend is down, but not like we had it in 2008 and 2009" during
the credit crisis, he said. The latest report says New York City
has 169,500 people working for securities and commodities firms.

The city's private employers also hired more people than is
typical for March, Brown said. A total of 26,200 individuals
found jobs versus the 10-year average gain of 17,100 jobs.

Wall Street jobs are the backbone of the city's economy,
because economists say each well-paid position creates one or
two jobs in other sectors, from advertising to hotels.

From: http://ping.fm/uSvdu

Cyclists in uproar over Addison Lee boss' views on road deaths - Yahoo! News UK

2012-04-20T15:05:00.001-07:00

Mr Griffin, who has already caused controversy by urging his team of 3,500 drivers to flout road laws and use bus lanes in the capital, wrote a piece in his company's magazine Add Lib in which he blamed 'beginner cyclists' for a 3% increase in accidents last year.

He wrote: "This summer the roads will be thick with bicycles. These cyclists are throwing themselves onto some of the most congested spaces in the world.

"They leap onto a vehicle which offers them no protection except a plastic padded hat. Should a motorist fail to observe a granny wobbling to avoid a pothole or a rain drain, then he is guilty of failing to anticipate this was somebody on her maiden voyage into the abyss."

He added: "The rest of us occupying this roadspace have had to undergo intensive training... it is time for us to say to cyclists: 'If you want to join our gang, get trained and pay up'."

Many Twitter users were today calling for a boycott on Addison Lee.

User Treadly and Me tweeted: "More disgusting anti-cyclist drivel from bus lane invading Addison Lee chairman."

Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott also joined the chorus of disapproval, writing: "Is Addison Lee's boss breaking section 44 of 1980 Magistrates Court Act by aiding & abetting drivers to break law?"

A statement from the London Cycling Campaign read: "Addison Lee already has a very poor reputation among cyclists, with its drivers being frequently accused of inconsiderate or dangerous behaviour on the road.

"Now it appears from the article that Griffin is prepared to deliberately infest his whole company with anti-cyclist sentiment, putting the lives of Londoners at greater risk."

From: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/cyclists-in-uproar-over-addison-lee-boss--views-on-road-deaths.html

Doctora Del IMSS Sin Etica Médica

2012-04-18T20:52:00.001-07:00

La médico Mayté Rosas Gómez, anestesióloga del hospital del IMSS, tiene el mal gusto de tomar fotos de las cirugías donde participa y subirlas a su muro de Facebook, en medio de bromas y comentarios poco éticos.

"Qué sicarios ni que nada", festeja Mayté Rosas luego de exhibir las fotos de un niño que es inmovilizado en el quirófano para una cirugía.

En otra de las fotografías, muestra a un grupo de médicos en un quirófano del hospital Puerta de Hierro, con el siguiente comentario: "los guapísimos de los locos del central en el puerta", sin importar que un paciente al que se le ve parcialmente el rostro está siendo operado.

Otras imágenes difundidas en Facebook por la anestesióloga del IMSS, la muestran estirando las piernas con los pies cerca de la cabeza del paciente que es sometido a una cirugía. "Qué felicidad y qué comodidad la mía", comenta.

Por si lo anterior fuera poco, de entre las fotos que la doctora toma con su celular dentro de las salas de operaciones, hay unas que muestran una matriz con miomas y una mano cercenada.

También publica una foto de unas piernas amputadas y ella misma explica a sus sorprendidos amigos de Facebook que pertenecen a una anciana de 96 años.

El aberrante título que escribió Rosas Gómez para esta última foto fue: "Y para desayunar unas patitas".

From: http://ping.fm/Ed3jX

ISSSTE Sin Medicamentos VIH SIDA

2012-04-18T02:45:00.001-07:00

Esta mañana, tras acudir a su consulta al Hospital Regional Adolfo López Mateos del Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado (ISSSTE), 10 pacientes con VIH/sida -cinco de ellos provenientes del estado de Guerrero-, fueron informados en la farmacia que no había medicamentos antirretrovirales para surtir sus recetas. Al respecto, Flor Nájera, integrante del Movimiento Mexicano de Ciudadanía Positiva, señaló que los fármacos faltantes son darunavir, medirapina, etravirina y raltegravir, los cuales se han reportado escasos desde hace por lo menos seis meses. Las autoridades del nosocomio, señaló la activista, los han remitido al almacén ubicado en la avenida San Fernando “para preguntar qué pasa”.

En su caso, aseguró, este año sólo se le ha surtido la receta referente al mes de enero, por lo que ha conseguido medicamentos prestados de otros pacientes, pero teme no poder recuperarlos, ya que, al dialogar con Eduardo Barragán Padilla, director del hospital, se le informó que sólo se le otorgará el medicamento correspondiente a este mes.

La también colaboradora de la muestra fotográfica “Una mirada positiva”, organizada por la Universidad de California y Letra S, indicó que en el centro de salud se atienden más de 500 personas con VIH, y casi 200 toman alguno de los cuatro medicamentos faltantes, por lo que la situación es “preocupante”, ya que los pacientes provenientes de otras entidades de la República no se pueden trasladar continuamente a la Ciudad de México para surtir sus recetas.

Para Nájera, el desabasto de antirretrovirales es dañino para su salud, sobre todo porque los médicos le han tenido que cambiar su esquema en cuatro ocasiones –cuando los guías internacionales para pacientes con VIH establecen que máximo deben ser tres– ante la falta constante de medicamentos.

Vienen desde Guerrero y se van con manos vacías

Con más de cinco horas de viaje por carretera desde Chilpancingo, Guerrero; Alejandro y Eugenio acudieron como cada dos meses a su cita médica. Ante la falta de un centro especializado en VIH por parte del ISSSTE en la entidad, los pacientes guerrerenses son trasladados gratuitamente por el mismo organismo a la capital del país.

Durante su visita se les hacen chequeos médicos y se les dan las recetas para surtir sus medicamentos por dos meses. Sin embargo, hoy se les informó que el sistema dejaría de funcionar así. Ahora se les dará una receta mensual como a los pacientes residentes en la capital mexicana. Al preguntar el motivo del cambio, no obtuvieron respuesta.

En el caso de Alejandro, paciente desde hace tres años, su esquema fue cambiado hace un año por falta de medicamento. En entrevista recordó que en una visita le indicaron que el ISSSTE ya no compraría su medicamento por lo que se lo cambiaron. Esta es la segunda ocasión en la que acude a la farmacia del hospital y se va con las manos vacías.

Eugenio, paciente desde hace 15 años, también obtuvo una respuesta negativa. No le surtieron su receta. Su temor, al igual que el de Alejandro, es que tengan que regresar la próxima semana. El ISSSTE sólo les cubre un viaje al mes y tendrían que desembolsar 520 pesos en transporte, más comida, para surtir su receta.

From: ping.fm

Soros On Europe Iceberg Dead Ahead

2012-04-15T05:51:00.001-07:00

George Soros has been a busy man the last few days. Appearing at the INET Conference a number of times and penning detailed articles for the FT (and here at Project Syndicate) describing the terrible situation in which Europe finds itself - and furthermore offering a potential solution. Critically, he opines, the European crisis is complex since it is a vicious circle of competing crises: sovereign debt, balance of payments, banking, competitiveness, and structurally defective non-optimal currency union.
The fact is 'we are very far from equilibrium...of the Maastricht criteria' with his very clear insight that the massive gap, or cognitive dissonance, between the 'official authorities' hope and the outside world who see how abnormal the situation is, is troublesome at best. Analogizing the periphery countries as third-world countries that are heavily indebted in a foreign currency (that they cannot print), his initial conclusion ends with the blunt statement that "the euro has really broken down" and the ensuing discussion of just what this means from both an economic and socially devastating perspective: the destruction of the common market and the European Union and how this will end in acrimonious recriminations with worse conflicts between European states than before.
However, he offers some hope and a potential solution to the fact that these nations have implicitly handed their 'seignorage rights' to the ECB, in the potential for a balance between fiscal austerity and deflation (or at minimum new rules that would remove to a greater extent the vicious circle of the fiscal compact as deflationary debt trap). The punchline being the creation of an SPV that 'owns the ECB's seignorage rights - estimated to be worth $2-3 trillion' that could explicitly be used to acquire bonds without violating the Lisbon Treaty. The sad truth of this admittedly smart financial engineering (pretend austerity and optically no money printing when exactly that is occurring) is that the Bundesbank will never agree to it (as implicitly it ends up at the foot of the German taxpayer to a greater or lesser extent) even though, as he concludes, the future of the Euro is a political one and thus "beyond the Bundesbank's competence to decide." Just as we noted back in December and reiterated here as likely given TARGET-2 imbalances (also confirmed by Deutsche Bank), Soros points out that the Bundesbank has "started taking measures to limit the losses that it would sustain in case of a
breakup." and this creates a self-fulfilling prophecy that markets are reflecting.

A must-watch harsh reality check on Europe and a man trying to find answers when the authorities remain blind to the endgame...

From: ping.fm

Blogger VS Wordpress Which Is Better?

2012-04-13T23:33:00.000-07:00

Which one is better?

I have been blogging on blogspot.com since 2007, but I am getting tired of the changes they are making on my URL address.
I had a Google page rank of 4/10 on my blog as a whole, with hundreds of pages on 3/10; now the PR of my whole blog is 3/10, and I am not happy at all.
Also, I have noticed, since my URL was redirected from blogspot.com to blogspot.mx that my links to ALEXA RANKINGS were NOT verified, when I already had a very high AR of 167,208 (all the way from 4 million!). Now my AR has been affected and it is losing level from 167,208 to 471,740 and getting worse everyday.

So, I decided to start a WordPress blog somedays ago and my Alexa Ranking is already improving and I am getting likes and comments without putting so much work into it!!! It is fun, so far.

I don´t think I will be canceling or abandoning this blog. I have grown to love it through out the years. But my short experience with WordPress has been exciting and I my be dedicating more time on that Blog Platform than Blogger. I do not like it when people manipulate the base or foundation of my work, and Blogger people did it by changing my URL of my blog without telling me. Not nice.

I like Blogger, do not take my wrong. But not having control over my own popularity and expansion about what I passionately do, is something I find hard to live with..

Wrinkles Off Eating Chia for Breakfast

2012-04-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

Chia is very beneficial for anybody, but if you like cycling, you definitely want to get into eating chia, simply because it gives you energy, has Omega3, and helps your skin not to get so many wrinkles after hours of having been in the sun pedaling with the wind hitting your face.

USGS Temblor en Michoacan México 7 Richter

2012-04-11T16:42:00.002-07:00

Tiembla otra vez en México, 7.0 en escala de Richter.

According to the USGS report, 7.0 earthquake in Michoacán, México

MAG	UTC DATE-TIME y/m/d h:m:s	LAT deg	LON deg	DEPTH km	Region
MAP	7.0	2012/04/11 22:55:17	18.390	-102.652	65.6	MICHOACAN, MEXICO
MAP	5.4	2012/04/11 22:51:59	2.897	89.597	14.7	NORTH INDIAN OCEAN
MAP	5.9	2012/04/11 22:41:47	43.593	-127.557	10.2	OFF THE COAST OF OREGON

Pozzato Cycling Crash Paris-Roubaix 2012

2012-04-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

Pozzato crashes and Devolder with him in the Paris-Roubaix 2012. Pozzato misjudges a corner on the cobbles and crashes into Stijn Devolder on 5-star pavé section!

Dolphins and Humans Brain Intelligence Increased by Teamwork

2012-04-10T19:52:00.001-07:00

The average adult human's brain weighs about 1.3 kilograms, has 100 billion or so neurons, and sucks up 20% of the oxygen we breathe. It's much bigger than an animal our size needs. According to a new computer model, the brains of humans and related primates are so large because we evolved to be social creatures. If we didn't play well with others, our brains would be puny.

The idea behind the so-called social intelligence hypothesis is that we need pretty complex computers in our skulls to keep track of all the complex relationships we have with each other—who's a friend, who's an enemy, who's higher in the social ranks. Some studies have supported this idea, showing for example that bigger-brained primates tend to live in bigger social groups. The same appears to hold true for dolphins. But these studies only identified associations between brain and group size; they don't show how evolution might have worked.

Since they didn't have a few million years of time on their hands, Ph.D. student Luke McNally and colleagues at Trinity College Dublin simulated evolution on a computer. They started with 50 simple brains. Each had just three to six neurons. The researchers then made each brain challenge the others to one of two classic games: the prisoner's dilemma or the snowdrift game.

In the prisoner's dilemma, two people have been taken in for questioning by the police. If both keep their mouths shut, they'll both be set free. If one sells out the other, the snitch will get off and the other will do a long stint in jail. If they tell on each other, both get shorter sentences. If the game lasts only one round, it's better to turn in your accomplice. But over the long term, players can start remembering who's done them a favor and learning to cooperate by maintaining their silence. In the snowdrift game, two people need to dig themselves out of a snowdrift. The best outcome for each player is to sit back while the other one digs, but digging cooperatively isn't bad, either. In each game, a player's only choice is whether to cooperate.

After playing one of the games, the brains reproduced asexually. Individuals that did better were programmed to be more likely to have offspring. Then all of the brains in the new generation had a chance to undergo a random mutation. The mutations could change the brain's structure, number of neurons, or the strengths of the connections between those neurons. Each simulation ran for 50,000 generations, with 10 runs of the simulation for each of the two games.

From: ping.fm

Sony 10000 Jobs To Cut

2012-04-09T08:40:00.001-07:00

Sony Corp JP:6758 +0.61% SNE +0.05% is planning to cut its worldwide workforce by about 10,000, or by 6%, with the layoffs coming by the end of the year, according to a report in the Nikkei newspaper on Monday. Seven senior managers, including Chairman Howard Stringer, are expected to give up their bonuses for fiscal 2011, the Nikkei said. Sony reported a net loss for the recent fiscal year ended in March, dragged in part by a poor performance at its LCD television unit, with the earnings result marking its fourth straight loss-making year. Sony's shares, which fell 3% earlier in the day, rebounded as much as 1.5% following the report. The stock ended the day 0.6% higher.

From: ping.fm

Big Governments Enslave Thomas Jefferson

2012-04-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Think, really think about what Thomas Jefferson said: "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have" -Thomas Jefferson

Then, analyze what is happening not only in United States of America but around the world, where ever governments are growing faster than the private sector, in fact, where ever the private sector has been already shrinking at a very fast pace.

"THINK. Be sovereign in your thinking. Do your own research and LEARN. EDUCATE yourself." -Dr. Martha Castro.

Concierto De Aranjuez John Williams

2012-04-06T23:44:00.000-07:00

This is definitely one of my three favorite instrumental/classical musical pieces I adore. Concierto de Aranjuez or En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor is sublime, makes my spirit and my mind fly to places I have never seen with my eyes, and that, is the most wonderful sensation I can feel; pure ectasy, and just for that, I am grateful to be alive.

Compositor: Joaquin Rodrigo Vidre
Orchestra: The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Guitarrista: John Williams
Director (Conductor) de Orquesta: Daniel Barenboim

It was difficult to find references about this great artist in English. I just got this from Wikipedia. Below, there is a great source about his work of art, his life, his passions, triumphs and sadness, but it is all in Spanish. If you are interested enough in learning you can translate it on your own.

Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquis of the Gardens of Aranjuez (November 22, 1901 – July 6, 1999), commonly known as Joaquín Rodrigo, was a composer of classical music and a virtuoso pianist. Despite being nearly blind from an early age, he achieved great success. Rodrigo's music counts among some of the most popular of the 20th century, particularly his Concierto de Aranjuez, considered one of the pinnacles of the Spanish music and guitar concerto repertoire. (from Wiki)

Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre (1901-1999)

Nació nuestro compositor universal el 22 de noviembre de 1.901, festividad de la patrona de la Música, Santa Cecilia, fecha premonitoria de lo que iba a ser su profesión y su vida plagada de éxitos. El lugar que le vio nacer fue la localidad valenciana de Sagunto. A los 3 años de edad pierde la vista casi totalmente debido a una epidemia de difteria, circunstancia que le conduce, según confesaría él mismo, hacia su vocación por la música, comenzando sus estudios musicales: solfeo, piano y violín a los 8 años y a partir de los 16 años sus estudios de armonía y composición.
Ya en 1.923 empieza a componer sus primeras piezas, superando todos los obstáculos que su minusvalía le causaba, piezas que después dictaba a un copista. Cuatro años más tarde viaja a París con el objeto de estudiar en la ‘École Normale de Musique’. Pronto comenzarán a conocerle como pianista y compositor, entablando amistad con Falla, Honegger, Milhaud, Ravel y muchas otras grandes figuras de aquel tiempo. En 1.929, mientras estudiaba en la ciudad del Sena conocerá a Victoria Kamhi, excelente pianista nacida en Turquía, que se convertirá en su esposa. A partir de ese momento Victoria dejará sus estudios para dedicarse en cuerpo y alma a cuidar a Joaquín Rodrigo, convirtiéndose en “sus ojos” durante su largo matrimonio celebrado en 1.933. Victoria, tras cincuenta años de amor y trabajo entregada a su marido, fallece en su casa de Madrid a la edad de 92 años. Esta circunstancia sume a Joaquín Rodrigo en un profundo abatimiento, abatimiento que no logró superar hasta su muerte. Joaquín Rodrigo era un hombre de espíritu elevado y de sencillez ejemplar. Huyó siempre del protagonismo y de la popularidad fácil, refugiándose en las dos cosas que más amaba: la música y su familia. En 1.936 tras el inicio de la guerra civil española, se suspende la beca del Conde de Cartagena, que le había sido concedida a Joaquín gracias al apoyo de Manuel de Falla. El matrimonio atraviesa tiempos difíciles en Francia y Alemania, hasta que en 1.939, ya terminada la contienda, deciden regresar a España para establecerse en Madrid. Los años de París fueron especialmente penosos, no sólo por las precarias condiciones económicas en las que se encontraba, sino también por la lejanía de su tan querida España, enfrentada en una cruenta guerra fratricida, circunstancia que aumentaba su melancolía. Durante su estancia parisina Joaquín Rodrigo compuso el “Concierto de Aranjuez”, obra que a pesar de ser la que le daría renombre universal no sería la preferida por el maestro, tal y como declaró su nieta Patricia meses antes de su 95 cumpleaños. A partir de entonces desarrolla toda una extensa y prolífica actividad artística, tanto creativa como académica, siendo de especial relevancia los siguientes cargos: Catedrático de Historia de la Música en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Asesor Musical de Radiodifusión, Crítico Musical en diversas publicaciones y Jefe de la Sección Artística de la O.N.C.E. Su música es refinada, luminosa, fundamentalmente optimista, con evidente predominio melódico y con armonía original. Sus primeras obras acusan la influencia de compositores de su tiempo como Ravel y Stravinsky pero enseguida surge la voz personal que llegará a crear un singular capítulo de la cultura española del siglo XX. La originalidad de su inspiración musical va unida siempre a una devoción por los valores fundamentales de su tradición. Su fecunda y variada creación musical incluye once conciertos para distintos instrumentos, más de sesenta canciones, obras corales e instrumentales y música para escena y cine. Recibió numerosas distinciones por parte de gobiernos, universidades, academias y otras entidades civiles y musicales de muy diversos países, pero son particularmente significativas: la Gran Cruz de Alfonso X el Sabio, la Gran Cruz del Mérito Civil, las Medallas de Oro al Mérito en el Trabajo y de las Bellas Artes, dos veces Premio Nacional de Música, los Doctorados Honoris Causa por diversas universidades nacionales e internacionales, el nombramiento de Director de la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando y el Premio ‘Fundación Guerrero’. En 1.991, con motivo del 90 aniversario de su nacimiento se celebran conciertos-homenajes dedicados a su música en todo el mundo, y S.M. el Rey de España don Juan Carlos I le concede el título de ‘Marqués de los Jardines de Aranjuez’.

Source

Pfizer Trims Fired Workers Benefits

2012-04-06T21:27:00.001-07:00

Pfizer the drugmaker that’s fired 26,000 workers in three years, is cutting its employee severance package after May 14, according to an internal memo.
The world’s biggest pharmaceutical company has been focused on trimming costs since it acquired Wyeth in January 2009. This year, Pfizer is wrestling with sales losses after its biggest product, the cholesterol drug Lipitor with $9.6 billion in 2011 sales, began facing generic competition for the first time.

From: http://ping.fm/BQ5xG

Egan-Jones Cuts US Credit Rating

2012-04-06T20:31:00.001-07:00

Rating firm Egan-Jones cuts its credit rating on the U.S. government to "AA" from "AA+" with a negative watch, citing a lack of progress in cutting the mounting federal debt.

"When debt-to-GDP exceeds 100 percent, a country's financial flexibility becomes increasingly strained," Managing Director Sean Egan wrote in his report on the downgrade. "For the first time since World War II, U.S. debt exceeds 100 percent."

The U.S. dollar fell slightly against the yen after the news, which came at the start of Asia's trading day.

Egan said he sees no end in sight to the increasing deficit.

"With an annual federal budget deficit in the area of $1.4 trillion, debt is likely to reach $16.7 trillion as of the end of 2012 while assuming GDP grows 2.5 percent, total GDP is likely to reach $15.7 trillion. Therefore, as of the end of 2012, debt-to-GDP is likely to be in the area of 106 percent."

Economic growth, meanwhile, has averaged 2 percent to 2.5 percent, with economic growth "at best stagnant, at worst negative" if adjusted for inflation, Egan wrote.

From: http://ping.fm/3VXvf

Mariposa Middle School Closes Doors

2012-04-06T14:48:00.001-07:00

Budget woes have forced the Mariposa Unified School District to close its middle school.
Mariposa Middle School will close June 30, and the move is expected to save the district close to $500,000, said Aaron Rosander, superintendent. The school board took action Thursday night.
The closure of the middle school comes on the heels of the recent shutdown of two elementary schools in the district -- one in Catheys Valley and in Greeley Hill.

Rosander said it wasn't an easy decision, but it was one that had to be done to keep the district afloat. "It's always a very, very difficult process to go through when you close a school," he said. "It was a difficult decision, but in the end the board had to consider the greater good of everyone in order to keep our district solvent and our schools."
District officials expect more than a $3 million budget deficit if necessary cost-cutting measures aren't taken now. Closing the middle school is just one part of a whole series of cost-cutting proposals, Rosander said.
The school serves about 220 seventh- and eighth-graders. Woodland Elementary School and Mariposa Elementary School, which are both K-6, will become K-8 schools beginning next school year.
Seventh-grade students will return to the elementary school they came from, he said.
Barbara Hamilton, principal at Mariposa Middle School, said the impact of closing any school has both short-term and far-reaching effects on students, staff and residents.
"The most directly affected by the closure of Mariposa Middle School are the seventh-grade students who will return to their respective elementary schools for their eighth-grade year," she said in a statement.

From: http://ping.fm/3hklB

PPG 2000 Job Cuts Unemployment

2012-04-06T14:13:00.001-07:00

PPG Industres PPG +2.52% said Thursday its latest cost-cutting moves will affect about 2,000 positions, but the company said its first-quarter profit will beat Wall Street targets after breaking out one-time costs. PPG said it'll report adjusted first-quarter profit of $1.75 a share to $1.80 a share. Wall Street analysts had expected the coatings maker to earn $1.44 a share, according to a survey by FactSet Research. Including all charges, PPG will earn 2 cents to 7 cents a share in the first quarter.

From: ping.fm

Dolly Goes Out for a Bike Ride México

2012-04-05T06:09:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a ride. The sun was out, the skies blue, clear; how not to bike ride? Feeling the vibration of this life running through my veins while pedaling my bike, is one of the most wonderful experiences I enjoy.

Yahoo Despedira a 2000 Empleados

2012-04-04T21:18:00.001-07:00

La empresa Yahoo anunció hoy que eliminará unos 2.000 empleos como parte de la reestructuración de su portal en internet, con lo cual espera un ahorro anual de unos 375 millones de dólares.

Yahoo "empezará a informar a los empleados afectados acerca de la eliminación de empleos o la transición gradual", señaló un comunicado de la firma.

Por su parte, el ejecutivo principal de la compañía, Scott Thompson, indicó en una declaración que "las acciones anunciadas hoy son un paso importante hacia un Yahoo más audaz, nuevo, más pequeño y ágil, más rentable y mejor equipado para innovar al ritmo que requieren nuestros clientes y nuestra industria".

"Nuestra meta es retornar al propósito central de esta firma poniendo a nuestros usuarios y a nuestros anunciantes primero", agregó.

Ésta es la sexta vez en cuatro años, y bajo tres consejeros delegados diferentes, que Yahoo recurre a cortes masivos de su fuerza laboral, pero ésta es la mayor reducción desde que a fines de 2008 fueron despedidos unos 1.500 trabajadores.

From: http://ping.fm/nuWPD

Yahoo 2000 Layoffs Jobs Cut

2012-04-04T17:32:00.001-07:00

Yahoo's turnaround attempt is going to be messy.

In his first three months on the job, CEO Scott Thompson has imposed the largest layoffs in the company's 17-year history, reshaped the board of directors, picked a potentially disruptive fight with a major shareholder and sued Facebook for patent infringement.

He says there's even more upheaval to come.

Thompson delivered a painful jolt Wednesday with a payroll purge of about 2,000 workers, or about 14 percent of Yahoo's 14,100 employees. The cuts will save about $375 million annually as Yahoo tries to boost its earnings and long-slumping stock price.

More shakeups loom as Thompson reshuffles divisions and considers selling an online ad-placement service and other operations that don't fit into his strategy.

Those potential changes will follow a tumultuous time for Thompson, an affable and well-respected executive who held the top job at eBay Inc.'s thriving PayPal service before being lured away to help salvage Yahoo.

Thompson "definitely seems to be taking a very broad and bold view of what needs to be done at Yahoo," said Standard & Poor's Capital IQ analyst Scott Kessler. "He seems to know it isn't going to be easy and it isn't going to be pleasant."

From: http://ping.fm/CnTdv