Alleged Islamic extremist who attacked NYPD cops with machete near Times Sq. IDd

 The alleged Islamic extremist who attacked multiple NYPD officers with a machete near the New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square has been identified as 19-year-old Trevor Bickford, multiple law enforcement sources said Sunday.

The cops were working the New Year’s Eve detail in Times Square when two of them were struck in the head with a large knife in what police are investigating as a possible targeted attack around 10 p.m., the sources said. 

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Police have identified Trevor Bickford as the person who attacked NYPD officers with a machete.

Facebook/Audra D'Antilio Simpson

Bickford is only 19 years old.

Facebook/Audra D'Antilio Simpson

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One of the cops, who is assigned to the Police Academy, suffered a laceration to the head. A Staten Island officer suffered blunt force trauma to the head. They were both taken to Bellevue Hospital. 

A third officer suffered unknown injuries and was taken to Mt. Sinai West. All three were expected to recover.

One of the cops shot Bickford, who lives in Wells, Maine, in the shoulder, after he attacked them on Eighth Avenue between 51st and 52nd Street, the sources said. 

Charges were pending against Bickford Sunday morning. He remained hospitalized at Bellevue, cops said.

Several cops were working the New Year’s Eve detail in Times Square when someone struck two cops in the head with a large knife.

Robert Mecea

The alleged Islamic extremist who attacked multiple NYPD officers with a machete has been identified by law enforcement.

Paul Martinka

One of the cops shot Bickford in the shoulder after he approached them on Eighth Avenue between 51st and 52nd Street.

Paul Martinka

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell described the weapon as a “large knife,” and cops released a photo that showed it was 18 inches long.

The cops who were attacked were outside the security screening zone, Sewell said.

A preliminary search by investigators turned up no criminal record for Bickford, police sources said. 

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One of the cops suffered a laceration to the head, and a Staten Island officer suffered blunt-force trauma to the head.

Paul Martinka

The cops who were attacked with the large knife were outside the security screening zone, officials said.

Paul Martinka

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A picture of the machete allegedly used to attack a rookie NYPD officer near Times Square

NYPD

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But police sources said the FBI in Boston has an open case on him and he is on something called a guardian list because of his radicalization. Bickford’s aunt notified authorities because he apparently made statements to her indicating a desire to go fight in Afghanistan, police sources said.

https://nypost.com/2023/01/01/alleged-islamic-extremist-who-attacked-nypd-cops-with-machete-idd/

Machete Attack In Times Square Injures 3 Cops As FBI Investigates As Possible Terror Incident

 Chaos erupted in Times Square on New Year's Eve when a machete-wielding man injured three New York Police Department (NYPD) officers. 

New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters early Sunday that a 19-year-old man attempted to strike the first officer in the head with a machete, unprovoked. Sewell said the man hit two other officers on the head with the machete. 

Sewell said one officer received a laceration to the head while the other received a skull fracture and a large laceration. Another officer discharged his firearm, striking the suspect in the shoulder. 

The incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. ET at West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue. One police source told NYPost that an investigation had been opened to see whether the suspect is a radical Islamic extremist. 

"We are working with our federal partners for this investigation, and it is ongoing," Commissioner Sewell said. 

NYPD Crime Stoppers released a picture of the machete. 

Mike Driscoll, assistant director in charge of the New York FBI Field Office, who is also investigating, told local news NBC New York that the knife attack appears to be the work of a "sole individual at this time, there's nothing to suggest otherwise." The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is also investigating.

Nearby onlookers were startled by the attack and gunfire -- many revelers fled amid the chaos. 

"No backpacks or umbrellas in Times Square. They forgot to mention machetes," a police source told The Post. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/machete-attack-times-square-injures-three-nypd-cops-fbi-investigates-possible-terror

Opting out of Medicare: A guide for direct care practices

 As a family physician in Southwest Florida, Medicare patients have traditionally composed a large part of my patient population. But in 2016, faced with burdensome ‘meaningful use’ and merit-based payment requirements through the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), I made the radical and somewhat painful decision to opt-out of accepting Medicare payments. It turned out to be the best decision I ever made. I now look forward to my Medicare patients, because the direct care model allows me to focus on their health and wellness, rather than on computer checkboxes.

If you’re feeling burned out, don’t let third-party payer demands drive you out of medicine: instead, consider transitioning to a direct care model, which can include opting out of Medicare. Here’s why you should consider dropping the payer, and how to make it happen.

“Whoever pays the bills, makes the rules”

Medicare pay is constantly under threat, with another 4.3% cut to physician pay planned for 2023. With increasing overhead expenses, these cuts to Medicare threaten the financial livelihood of many practices, especially those with a higher population of Medicare patients.

Further, by accepting payment, practices are beholden to Medicare’s rules, including extensive documentation requirements and the creation of a compliance program for internal monitoring and self-auditing.

Ensuring compliance can be costly. In 2019, physicians paid an average of nearly $13,000 and 200 hours to comply with Medicare’s Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).Despite perfect compliance with Medicare rules, 50% of practices will receive financial penalties under MIPS simply because of the way the program was structured under federal law, with failure to earn enough “points” resulting in an automatic 9% penalty.

Should I opt out of Medicare?

Rather than being accountable to a third-party payer, direct care physicians are accountable to their patients—if patients don’t feel that they are receiving value for their fees, they are under no obligation to remain in the practice.Although some physicians question the ethics of charging Medicare patients directly, direct care fees are generally affordable to most patients ($109 per month for seniors in my practice) and provide added value to patients. For example, patients often tell me that they save more than their monthly membership fees on low-cost direct medication dispensing from our office, and we have the time to help our lower-income patients apply for pharmaceutical patient assistance programs for brand-name medications. Doctors who want to charge lower fees to seniors have the option of offering discounts or scholarships to patients in financial need at their discretion in direct care, something that is not allowed in the Medicare system.

For practices with a high volume of Medicare patients, deciding to cut ties with the payer can be a frightening financial decision. Indeed, when converting to direct care, only about 10-20% of a patient panel will typically stay with the practice, which results in a significant decrease in patient volume. However, this lower patient volume does not necessarily translate into a lower salary, as direct practices generally have a more consistent income and lower overhead expenses. I found this to be the case for my practice, which comprised about 75% of Medicare patients before I converted to direct care. Currently, about 25% of my current practice panel is over 65, yet my income is higher than it was when I was dependent on Medicare payments, due to more consistent income and lower overhead. I have fewer staff members, no billing department to pay, and a simple and inexpensive electronic health system (since it doesn’t need to collect third-party data).Additionally, patients

Steps to opting out

If you want to bill Medicare-eligible patients directly for services typically covered by the insurer, you must formally opt out of Medicare, following a specific procedure. Until you have completed this process, you MAY NOT bill patients directly for services that Medicare pays for, like office visits. Charging an administrative or access fee for patients to receive Medicare-billed visits is strictly not allowed, and models that bill Medicare for office visits but also charge patients a membership fee for services like ‘non-covered services’ (special access, phone visits, etc) walk a fine line between what is and is not allowed by Medicare and can lead to audits and fines.

Medicare requires physicians to mail an opt-out affidavit, available from your local Medicare Administrative Contractor. The opt-out takes effect at the beginning of the calendar quarter that starts 30-days after the opt-out affidavit letter is received (the best instructions that I have found (and the ones that I followed) are here). Once you have opted out of Medicare, you cannot re-enroll for two years (other than a one-time initial termination of opt-out status within the first 90 days). During this period, you may not bill Medicare for services in any setting, other than some specific emergency situations. Further, patients are not allowed to submit claims to Medicare for reimbursement.

To bill Medicare-eligible patients directly, you are required to have patients sign a private contract that explains Medicare’s rules. The contract advises the patient that as an opted-out physician, you do not bill Medicare, nor can the patient themselves submit claims to Medicare. Further, the patient is informed that they have the right to seek a physician who accepts Medicare payment. A sample contract is found here, and must be renewed every 2 years.

Physicians who opt-out of accepting Medicare payment are still permitted to order and authorize laboratory tests, imaging, home health, physical therapy, and durable medical equipment for Medicare patients.

Hybrid practices

Because some direct care physicians rely on Medicare billing for moonlighting jobs while they are building their practice, they may consider a hybrid practice—accepting Medicare but no other insurance. Unfortunately, by accepting Medicare, you lose the main benefit of direct care, which is eliminating administrative burdens—you will still need to hire additional staff to ensure proper billing, documentation, and compliance with Medicare rules. Instead, it may be better to keep a waiting list for Medicare-eligible patients to join the practice once you are ready to officially opt-out, or to find a moonlighting job that doesn’t require Medicare billing, such as workman’s compensation, corrections, or hospice direction.

Before you decide to take early retirement or seek a nonclinical career path, consider direct care and opting out of Medicare. You may find that removing these administrative burdens helps to bring meaning back to the practice of medicine. It did for me.

Rebekah Bernard, MD, is a family physician in Fort Myers, FL, and the author of How to Be a Rock Star Doctor and Physician Wellness: The Rock Star Doctor’s Guide.

https://www.medicaleconomics.com/view/top-administrative-challenges-of-2023-prior-authorizations

Act Your Wage is the New Meme as Career Ambitions Plunge

 The willingness to do what it takes to get ahead has plunged, especially in generation Z, the zoomers.

Less Ambitious Workers and the New Work Order

For many workers the days of unpaid overtime and weekend work is gone. Work your wage has replaced quiet quitting as the new meme forcing employers to add more people to finish projects.

The Wall Street Journal reports Your Coworkers Are Less Ambitious; Bosses Adjust to the New Order

At law firm Nixon Peabody LLP, associates have started saying no to working weekends, prompting partners to ask more people to help complete time-sensitive work. TGS Insurance in Texas has struggled to fill promotions, and bosses often have to coax staffers to apply. And Maine-based marketing company Pulp+Wire plans to shut down for two weeks next year now that staffers are taking more vacation than they used to.

“The passion that we used to see in work is lower now, and you find it in fewer people—at least in the last two years,” says Sumithra Jagannath, president of ZED Digital, which makes digital ticket scanners. The company, based in Columbus, Ohio, recently moved about 20 remote engineering and marketing roles to Canada and India, where she said it’s easier to find talent who will go above and beyond.

In a November survey of more than 3,000 workers and managers by software firm Qualtrics, 36% said their overall career ambitions had waned over the past three years, compared with 22% who said their ambition had increased. Nearly 40% said work had become less important to them in the past three years, while 25% said it had grown more important, according to researchers at Qualtrics, which provides software to businesses to evaluate customer and employee experiences. 

In an American Bar Association survey of nearly 2,000 members this year, 44% of young lawyers said they would leave their jobs for a greater ability to work remotely elsewhere.

The Journal comments on Mary Waisanen, a 43-year-old structural engineering technician in Virginia Beach, Va. who after watching a Tik-Toc video wants a pay raise.

“Until then,” she says, “I will make more of an effort to ‘act my wage,’ ” referencing a phrase that’s gone viral on social media and encourages workers to do solely what they are compensated for. 

A Prudential survey also shows the same thing.

Prudential Attitudes Towards Work

Inflationary Attitude Shift

Every generation until now was happy or at least OK in doing whatever it takes to get the job done. 

Now, the older millennials and especially the zoomers seem to have had a sudden shift in attitudes.

The push for $15 is long gone. Now workers want $22 or more an hour. 

If we pay people enough to not work, this is what happens. 

Quiet Quitting, Are You Doing Only What's Necessary at Work and No More?

I discussed quiet quitting on August 18, in Quiet Quitting, Are You Doing Only What's Necessary at Work and No More? 

Wondering why productivity is down? Think about the new phenomenon called quiet quitting.

Great American Dream

People have decided that quality of life is more important than getting ahead.

Alternatively, they view the Great American Dream of home ownership is out of reach.

Blame the Fed and cheap interest rates for the latter.

My Number One Investment Idea for 2023

In retrospect, less works fits in with my Number One Investment Idea For 2023. 

Invest in yourself, your family, and your friends. Invest in life. If you need to lose weight, do it.

Spend more quality time with your friends, family, and loved ones. 

Attitude changes have implications for productivity and salaries. A mass resignation of aging boomers is accompanied by quiet quitting and threats of "working your wage."

Looking ahead, these trends are quite inflationary and very poor for productivity and corporate profits.  

https://mishtalk.com/economics/act-your-wage-is-the-new-meme-as-career-ambitions-plunge

Rookie Traders Are Calling it Quits, and Their Families Are Thrilled

 Spouses, parents and other family members who have been subjected to too much play-by-play of market movements say they are happy to have their loved ones back — and equally happy to no longer have to hear about popular stocks or cryptocurrencies.

The market swooned in 2022, which took the fun out of day trading for many newcomers. The S&P 500, after rallying during the pandemic, has just finished its worst year since 2008. Bitcoin lost about 65% of its value throughout the year.

The families of some amateur traders are now facing the disappearance of the life-changing sums of money they had in their wallets at the height of the run. The stakes are lower for those who put a modest amount of money into meme stocks or crypto for fun.

Alan Garcia started trading on Webull Financial LLC early during the pandemic, when his work as a musician dried up. Soon, Mr. Garcia was parked behind his desk every day from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. managing his roughly $2,000 portfolio. He bet heavily on companies like ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp. , allowing an electric car to accommodate one person; ticker symbol, SOLO

The obsession didn’t stop as he sat down in the living room with his wife, Adriana Rodriguez, every night. For about two years he talked about investing. Mr. Garcia, a 34-year-old Houston resident, even started watching investment videos in bed at night.

“He was here,” Mrs. Rodriguez said, “but he wasn’t here.”

In early 2022, Mr. Garcia bet everything in his wallet from a bad options bet, which put him in a bad mood. But the next morning he felt relieved. After Ms. Rodriguez, a lawyer, left for the office, he worked all day on his music instead of scouring the market. He has not acted on the app since then.

Mrs. Rodriguez is excited. Mr. Garcia agrees that this is for the best, most of the time anyway. “We’ve never been better in our lives,” he said. “Someday, though, I’ll get that $2,000 back.”

Commerce exploded into the mainstream during the pandemic, as many Americans were stuck at home, swamped with stimulus and eager to pass the time. New apps made it cheap and easy for newcomers to trade from the comfort of their mobile phones, and many found a sense of community in investment forums online. In 2021, fledgling traders fueled a run of meme stocks chasing hedge funds.

Individual investors generally remain invested in stocks, unlike in previous recessions when many dumped their holdings. But many one-time day traders find that they are now content to buy and hold instead of trying to time their investments. Average daily trading volume has fallen significantly at major brokerage firms targeting retail clients.

Vince Major took a job as the head of marketing at a cryptocurrency wallet company in 2021, and soon subjected his mother, Vikki Major, to his thoughts on various cryptocurrency projects and how the industry could revolutionize the financial system.

His mother found it unbearable. Ms. Major, who is 66 and a juvenile probation officer in Phoenix, told her son to call it quits. That inspired him to give a presentation at an industry conference in October titled “My Mother Hates Your Project (and Mine!).”

A duly chastised Mr. Major has reduced crypto talk during morning FaceTime calls with his mother. After trying to talk about crypto in a more understandable way, he even convinced his mother to buy ether and leave it in a virtual wallet using his company’s app.

Ms. Major’s ether is down about 40% since she bought it in the summer of 2021, and it’s now worth about $14,000 in total. Mr Major, who is 36 and lives in Los Angeles, said the value of his crypto holdings has generally increased since he started buying in 2015 when prices were much lower.

Mrs. Major thinks her son knows what he’s talking about – even if it was in a nasty way at first. “He’s very intelligent,” she said.

Marvin Lahoud went all in on investing when the pandemic hit, spending up to 10 hours a day trading. Mr. Lahoud, who works at a construction management company in Boston and moved to the US from Lebanon in 2017, started wearing an earpiece to listen to CNBC while doing odd jobs.

His wife, Suzie Lahoud, also tried to embrace the investing subculture, though she thought his interest might wane as it had for past obsessions like photography and video games. The couple sang a song about investing as a lullaby to their daughter.

“It’s always nice to see him get excited about something,” says Ms. Lahoud, a PhD student. “But there were times when I got a little frustrated just because it took up so much of his time and mental space.”

In February 2021, Mrs. Lahoud told her husband that she was pregnant with their second child. Its Robinhood Markets Inc. portfolio had just reached nearly $1 million. He posted a screenshot of his account and news from his family on Reddit. “I’m on my way to early retirement and spending time with my kids,” he said, drawing 2,000 responses. He was rich, at least on paper.

In early 2022, Mr Lahoud’s investments began to decline and he faced a huge tax bill on the profits he made in 2021. Mr. Lahoud stopped trading.

Without investing to keep him busy, Mr Lahoud said he felt depressed for the first time in his life. He threw himself into a new venture: researching the year 536 AD, which a Harvard professor called the worst in history. That year, a volcanic eruption plunged large parts of the world into darkness and caused widespread famine. Reading about it made him feel better.

“My problems are so small,” said Mr. Lahoud, “and life is too short.”

https://chof360.com/rookie-traders-are-calling-it-quits-and-their-families-are-thrilled/