I'll start the blog remembering the HIV/AID's epidemic as a graduating health professional then involved in the testing and seeing 2 of my former classmates then and after succumbing demise due to infection. This was a time pre-technology in my own terms that our team can get infected easily on the clinical side by either getting accidentally poke when we are drawing blood specimens from patients, or accidentally swallowing serum or plasma as we try to separate them for testing through pi petting and last when accidentally the auto-clave then for some reason explodes.

Today with the onset of the great viral pandemic, COVID-19, Coronavirus technology has been greatly changed the  laboratory settings and respiratory clinicians practices from way back. We can't accidentally swallow the hazard. But like any other health professional in the front lines, a future careful review of OSHA rules and the right adequate most talked about PPE (Personal Protective Equipment's) are eminent. Our front lines in hospital settings starts from the EMT's,  Admissions coordinators, Triage and Trauma staff, ER, Infectious disease to include bio-hazard teams, maintenance, janitorial, ICU/Acute Care, Nurses, doctors, food and canteen staff, the staff that we don't see much, Medical Assistants, Phlebotomist, Medical Technologist/Technician, Lab and Hospital Aides and our Clinical Laboratory Scientist,

I open the TV this morning alarmed to remember that one of the HIV patients stigma's then was the Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco, CA. Laguna Honda, the biggest nursing home in the USA also played and is playing a great service to the patients that have outlive the HIV epidemic. I'm alarm due to the fact the most vulnerable from COVID-19 are in this facility and the last I'd like to see is these patients who had so many years fighting HIV may succumb to this new viral disease if it spreads. As of today, the public health officials have started the best measures to protect the patients by locking down the facility and starting to test the more than 100 staff in the facility. This will at least start the identification and isolation's needed.

I'll continue by way of hovering on the concern on the national level on the economic impact this is causing the US and World economy. While reading through, Economic Effects of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic by Thomas Garrett, where he quotes on his abstract, "The possibility of a worldwide influenza pandemic in the near future is of growing concern for many countries around the globe".

As the medical professionals cited the 1918 pandemic came in 3 waves where they based the mortality rates. This is why we hear a lot in the news when officials and medical people talking on making assumptions as to density and apex which somehow touch bases on population, geography, ratio and percentage rank. Garrett continues, " The greatest disadvantage of studying the economic effects of the 1918 influenza is the lack of economic data. There are some academic studies that have looked at the economic effects of the pandemic using available data, and these studies are reviewed later. Given the general lack of economic data, however, a remaining source for information on (some) economic effects of the 1918 pandemic is print media". I mentioned this as this is the reality in "viral economics" Hence is why the economist zeroes on the point that the first step is deal with the virus on test and cure. 

In summary, let the scientist take the lead towards the date and assumptions. Let's focused on what we can do individually in terms of isolation, mitigation, being responsible from staying away from the vulnerable. We don't need to be in the front lines to be susceptible being exposed or being a carrier. The harsh effects will be great but were talking about lives and mortality.

I recommend reading this great article by Thomas Garrett. I will end on a paragraph on this article. 

"The influenza of 1918 was short-lived and “had a permanent influence not on the collectivist but on the atoms of human society – individuals.”31 Society as a whole recovered from the 1918 influenza quickly, but individuals who were affected by the influenza had their lives changed forever. Given our highly mobile and connected society, any future influenza pandemic is likely to be more severe in its reach, and perhaps in its virulence, than the 1918 influenza despite improvements in health care over the past 90 years. Perhaps lessons learned from the past can help".

With the onset of the tech boom, today's lifestyle focus on apps, smart devices and lights, siri, social media practically on automation. An presidential election coming, absurd political parties bickering with candidates laying on platforms. Yet in the America, the richest and greatest country on earth thrives two of the worst problems typical in a 3rd world country - Homelessness and Access to Affordable Housing. 

In 1998, when the  tech boom started and the markets crash, one of the reasons I founded, ADLE International was focus on continuing my outreach for people with low income, the elderly, the disabled, the marginalized youth, veterans and societies most vulnerable to disparity, discrimination and inequality due to having limited financial means and resources. Two decades after I can't just tell myself I can't believe  the problem is still here and for all you know has gotten worst.

Part of the culprit lies on the severe income brackets of the so called rich, very rich and low income nowadays extreme poverty level. The State Medical and Medicaid systems for example classify lower income needing extra help if monthly personal cash reserves are below $2000 in San Francisco, CA when even an SRO (Standing Room Only aka Single Room Occupancy) in it's poor Tenderloin neighborhood range from $800 to $1300 and a typical Studio cost $1400 to $2,000 a month. It does not do the math as if you held $2001 anticipating just your rent, your no longer qualify for extra help and Medical/Medicaid might even cancel your enrollment.

The biggest challenge on top of this complication is if you just move to the city of San Francisco, there are no low income housing unless you want to go on to this massive wait list on the properties considered low income and affordable from 9 months to 5 years. If you have a parent on SSI (Social Security Income) that can no longer live alone and needs assisted living do the math = $900/month income and a typical shared assisted living which 95% only accepts private pay require $5000/month the cheapest shared room. Hence, is why part of the homeless population in the city are the vulnerable very elderly and even veterans who serve as there is no housing!

So when we were listing a book on our website today I said I have to write a blog even though it's been a while I haven't done one. Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America. 

Conor Dougherty (Author) I believe made a good case presentation on this book  as he writes. "A stunning, deeply reported investigation into the housing crisis

A few days before a new year 2019 before the Democrats takes over control of the House of Representatives again opens the case on the subject of Impeachment.

Reading through Alan Hirsch book validates the process of impeachment.  A process that has been improved yet raise on every President since 1994's Bill Clinton's case of impeachment. From George Bush to even Barack Obama's issue of being not born in the US and using an Executive Order for DACA, it seems to be now a trend that "Impeachment" has been always a discussion in Congress. Whether it does happen, discuss or even a bill created towards impeaching the current Commander In Chief is the real question. What's the main difference as the author noted in previous Presidents is that most of the impeachable cases came about on the previous Presidents second term in office. The main relevance on this case today is on April 2017, 3 months right on the start of the 45th President Donald J. Trump first term presidency solidified his impeachment case followed by the creation of the Special Counsel to investigate on the Russian intervention of the 2016 Presidential elections.

As of this writing, it is the 3rd government shutdown on this administration when no deal came about with Congress and the White House. The main issue tackled is a "Border Wall" between Mexico and the United States, the main requirement of President Trump. The democrats as known will never agree to this border wall. The President now trying to get more and more open to negotiations, says it may now be a "Steel Barrier Fence" instead of a "Concrete Wall". Whether this new nomenclature will be agreeable still raises the question. If you really want to end the shut down Mr. President, a simple grammar correction might be "Border Security". Your business acumen knows better by using corrected grammar then identifying the right necessary steps and tools you might need taking into consideration what are the allowable actions in such terms.

Hirsch did a good representation of the historical narratives, engravings, illustrations and documentations on the impeachment episodes dating from Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon to the last one of Bill Clinton. Clinton's case made the trend to start an impeachment discussion on every President that followed from Bush, Obama and now Trump. 

America as the greatest country is the epitome of democratic principles. Authoritarian rulers are commonly seen in history from third developing countries for example as their President, Prime Minister, General are above the law coupled with corruption and human rights violations. Hence is why Saddam Hussein is now history. Such authoritarians act and lead on their own choice and command, controls their Congress and titled as military ruler. This is why some of them were deposed by their own military by way of a Coup D Etta. 

As I see it, firing the AG, FBI Directors neither is obstruction on the case of President Trump is a long shot towards removal from office. Him holding the highest office of enforcing the law given to him sort of immunizes him being removed or sued right now. The campaign spending issues may or may not be legal cases but that will come after his presidency.

Congress is mainly focus on protecting the Special Counsel Mueller's from being removed or dictated. This is because this is the prime case that may lead to a case of impeachment if this President or his enforcers derails Mueller's investigation unless Mueller acted improperly. When a President prevents a Prosecutor to do his or her job because he feels threaten as signs shows in the past then this obstruction of justice for an impeachment case of the 45th President.

Richard Nixon as verified by the author in book made the strategy to change the Special Prosecutor and was not later impeached. It is agreeable that if Trump does replace Mueller it might or not reduced an impeachment case. However, today is very much a different case as this President has since already concluded on him being threaten by this Prosecutor's actions. Likewise, Nixon eventually resigned from office as a last resort. What happens to this President amidst a new Congress is there to see in 2019. It might turn things around for the better good by being non-partisan between Congress and the White House as seen in previous Presidents or whether a case of impeachment is doom, we will have to see.

May we enjoy the blessings of this Holiday Season and Hoping for the best of the New Year.

As much as I'm avid techno follower with the first Trillion dollar company while looking forward to spending my retirement savings invested with technology, it bothers me on the downside effects to my daily living on the "New Threats".

The last few nights made me think about getting woken up with these app notifications. You turn them off, moreover even uninstall them, then as the sun goes up you check your emails. Low and behold as you check your emails as much as the email systems are getting better to moving junk, spam, promotional emails away from your inbox, you still have to mark some and delete them from your inbox. The next thing you do is browse your hundreds of spam and junk, block them and the domains. The next morning the same subjects you just blocked yesterday are back using different email address and domains. But in common sense you would wonder why these junk emails are using the same subjects and formats from those you had already blocked thinking they're gone. These scenario in itself is non ending daily routine. Then you go to this social and promotional emails or even those in your inbox, link to un-subscribed which even sometimes brings you to the home page website of the sender where you confirm you want to un-subscribed. Guess what, when you check in a few days and they are back. Prior to these heavy hacking on the elections, if you still get an email from a site you have already un-subscribed, you can file a complaint and these websites can be banned or penalized. It was that simple as reporting telemarketers continuously calling your phone after you have reported them and removed your number from the marketing numbers to be called. This is why I say there is a "New Threat" as there is no stopping on these attacks and annoyances. 

Worst case from your land line, to your cell phone, to even google voice and what's up phone numbers comes the daily VOIP robocalls. If you dare answer which at times you may as they've gone sophisticated using a number your familiar with then the more doom you are as the more calls your gonna get in addition. Robocalls are more commonly known as telemarketing calls but they were actually started being used by politicians making those electioneering calls. So yes, robocalls can be said to be also related to these on-going threats as for one they are non traceable so one has been caught yet. These callers are even using legitimate companies showing in your caller ID and also in there voice messages. They may be from a Consul General, Embassy, Apple.com, Discover.com etc..,

The phishing emails and text although have been in reality for a while, one can still be a victim as again they are now more individualized to a person that can be deceiving as it may use a name or topic familiar to us. There are even those so called emails with a subject on your generic password or a password you may use in the past saying you better pay their block mail amount or less see yourself online having sex etc..,

Although smart phones are really quite hard to infiltrate being a mobile device, guess what if you do click on a text link you just gave permission to hack your phone and your life.

I'm not going to elaborate much on Social Media accounts and advertisements as by now we all know about this in the past recent months. What I can say is that influencing psychological thinking and behaviors for the mere purpose of profit depicted the  very purpose of social media influence of connecting people. The hardest part of the challenges in here is that computers and algorithms running infrastructures just to approve a social media ad  due to the bulk quantities is not acceptable. Normal people being banned to a post they may have not even have posted themselves is another example of a platform managed by computers instead of humans. Hence, later on hundreds or even thousands of fake accounts to be discovered and removed together with fake ads. 

Not like in the old days, you either call the authorities, right a letter, file a complaint or even report unanimously. Today's world is very complicated and sad to say there's not really much help but to be personally vigilant and watch your own back.  Hopefully, as technology goes further towards the 22nd century more research and laws can be enacted as for sure these new threats are gonna get more sophisticated in time.