The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good: The Green movement in Iran continues to push forward.  Recent protests have not only included demonstrations by the people but also have pulled in leaders like Mir Hosein Mousavi who was thought by many to have bested Ahmadinejad in the last Iranian Presidential election; Mehdi Karroubi, a reformist cleric; and, Muhammad Khatami, the former President of Iran.  While it may take decades – I’ve always had the perspective that the people eventually win in the final analysis.  The same applies to healthcare reform…

The Bad: On Thursday, the House Ethics Committee found that Representative Charlie Rangel (D-NY), the Chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, violated Congressional rules by not properly disclosing financial information related to trips to the Caribbean.  The finding creates another ugly mess which Democrats must bounce back from as public opinion of the Democrats continues to erode.

The Ugly: In the ongoing recession, the lowest percent of federal debt as a portion of their respective budget deficits in 2009 was China (2.9%), Canada (3.0%), Brazil (3.1%), Germany (3.1%) and Italy (5.1%).  The highest?  Britain (14%), Greece (13%), Ireland (11.9%), Spain (11.3%) and the United States (10%).  Except for Greece, all of those countries were on top of the heap just two years ago…

The Sentimental: EMI announced last week that it was intending to revitalize Abbey Road (the studio) with the investment of a third party.  The sale of the venerable recording studio has been rumored in the last few weeks but the British government prevented the spirits of Paul, John, George and Ringo from going the way of other institutions by naming the studio as a national historic site. Many of us remember the first album released by the studio, Abbey Road.  The cover with the four Beattles walking across Abbey Road was taken on August 8, 1969 and has become one of the most visited places in London.   Despite mixed receptions in November 1969 – the album went on to become one of the most fantastic ever released (or, so I believe with Come Together, Something, Octopus’ Garden, Here Comes the Sun and all the rest…).  As icons of my generation, it’s nice to have the institution retained a bit longer or, at least until all of us boomers are gone…

Kevin Fickenscher, MD

The views and opinions expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Dell Services or its affiliates.