The Vatican. Jan. 27, 2004. White House photo by David Bohrer

The announcement that Pope Benedict XVI would be entering retirement as of Feb. 28 created a number of questions that remain unanswered at this time. The Vatican has said that he plans to spend his retirement in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery within the Vatican. Established about two decades ago, the small monastery has housed several groups of cloistered nuns with the express intent of assisting the Holy Father through prayer and work.
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Multiple news media outlets are violating the embargo on releasing the week 1 influenza report from the CDC. Here are a few thought, pending the release of the report in about two minutes.

The flu data for week 1 of 2013 comes with a big caveat. It covers Dec. 29 through Jan. 5.
> Schools were closed
> Major US holiday during the week
> Prior week was also major US holiday with schools closed.

The data for week 2, ending Jan. 12, will be more reflective of the current situation. California, as of week 52, had not entered the flu outbreak and it holds over 10 percent of the US population.

As public health officials whistle past the graveyard and proclaim that flu is declining in those southern states where it first appeared, they are all low population states AND with far different climates at this time of year than NY or Michigan.

In November 2012, 350,000 Americans dropped out of the work force. Here are some quotes from the media about this truly dismal situation:
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Funds for Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery continue to lag the Katrina effort. The money raised is going to several types of entities, and some questionable ones, at that. Is this disaster just another way for politicians to bolster systems of financial rewards and punishments?

Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City
The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City pre-existed Hurricane Sandy. It is, ostensibly, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit and donations to the group are tax deductible. It is, for all practical purposes, an arm of New York City government. It is featured on the city’s website. Fund donated for Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery are being disbursed to meet needs identified by the city. The website states:

Currently, the Mayor’s Fund partners with 38 City Agencies and Mayoral Offices to support over 85 different programs. Several of these collaborations are informing the efforts of cities across the country and are helping to shape national policy.

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This is the fourth time that we have documented private giving in the United States for a disaster. It appears that the fundraising for Hurricane Sandy relief will not, as of this writing, resemble that for Hurricane Katrina. The money just isn’t there. There are some curious, interesting observations of the situation thus far and we wanted to share those with our readers.
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