Jesh Foundation

Starting next year, baby boomers will be turning 65 at the rate of one every ten seconds. This means an average of 4 million New Seniors a year through 2030. They will join the 30 million existing New Seniors community who are already settled into this phase of life. One question being asked is what happens to Medicare now that the health care reform bill is beginning to kick in?

The current administration intends to cut $500 billion from Medicare. This is not a good sign since the largest generation in the history of the United States is ready to be eligible for this government program – one that has helped those over 65 since the mid-’60s. Already the popular Medicare Advantage, a mostly HMO plan and the choice for one out of five, is under attack and enrollees in some parts of the country could lose a third of their health care benefits.

Those with regular Medicare coverage will also be affected as government payments to participating hospitals and physicians will be cut by 30% over the next three years. So the boomers turning 65 may have a difficult time finding medical providers to cover them. And those already in the system may find fewer covered services and an increase in the premiums for the supplemental or gap plans that are designed to pick up the costs not included under Medicare.

People don’t like getting their hands dirty. Rubbish disposal has always been left to society’s lower ranks, with an “out of sight, out of mind” attitude from people who are not directly involved. Today, however, both the increase in the amount and the complexity of waste produced are threatening human health and the environment as never before. The composition of waste has altered, the most dramatic change being in the number of chemicals we dump. Chemicals in the form of pills, pesticide or paint are an essential part of our lives. The disposal of waste from these chemicals has increased the problems in the way we treat rubbish, forcing us to face what we would rather throw away. Pollution of water, air and soil is widespread. Lead in the air affects our brains. Heavy metals in the soil are taken up by plants and passed on to us when we eat them. The environment is seriously affected as well. Trees are dying from acid rain. Rivers run black with pollution. Mysterious green waste from petro-chemical factories spoil fields where children play.

The 1965 war was in many ways a watershed in the military history of the sub continent. The scenario for India was far from encouraging. The Indian Army had been badly mauled in the 1962 clash with China. In contrast Pakistan was cock a hoop and looked forward to an easy victory. General Ayub Khan the Pakistan President breathed fire and the Pakistan Army was smug in the belief that one Moslem soldier was equivalent to 10 Hindu soldiers. In addition the Pakistani troops were confident that the Hindu soldiers could not face them and after that they would have any number of Hindu girls for their pleasure.

The Pakistan Army also had a massive donation of arms from the USA. The weapons were ostensibly given by the USA to fight the communists, but everybody knew including the US President that they would be used against India. Among the weaponry were the famed Patton tanks with infra red vision and night devices. The Pakistan Army massed these tanks on the border with India at chamb Jaurian sector. They wished to make a thrust and cut the state of Jammu and Kashmir from India. The plan was sound,but the Pakistan General staff had not calculated on the stern Indian response and the fact that India may open another front in the Lahore sector to relieve the pressure on the Chamb sector.