Category Archives: News

‘DexCom’ Stock Deserves To Be Punished Given That Their ‘G7 Sensor’ Is Remarkably Inaccurate.

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by Anura Guruge
on April 27, 2024

Click to ENLARGE. Base charts, of course, from ‘MarketWatch.com‘.

I have worn eight (8) Dexcom G7 sensors — for a total of around 75 days. It is NOT the full 80 you would expect (i.e., 10-day lifespan x 8) because I threw away a couple BEFORE they expired because they were so, so, so inaccurate. There is NO point, whatsoever, of wearing an inaccurate blood glucose monitor. Actually it is harmful — even DANGEROUS. You are being given FAKE RESULTS. What the G7 reports is NOT your actual blood glucose level. Much of the time it is just a RANDOM NUMBER.

I just couldn’t believe HOW INACCURATE the readings were. They were bad. Many times they were not even in the same ballpark. Crazy. Stupid. DANGEROUS. Harmful. Should NOT be allowed. I gave up on the G7. Will never get a DexCom product again. I spent HOURS calling and talking to their support. I bought 3 sensors (for $320 of my OWN money (since it was not covered by insurance) & DexCom support sent me FIVE (5) as replacements because they ‘acknowledged’ that I had DUFF sensors. That is how I ended up with 8 sensors. Dexcom has all my data & knows they screwed up. Hence the 5 free sensors.

You know that old chestnut how a totally broken watch, that doesn’t run, is better than a watch which is 1 second too slow/fast BECAUSE the broken watch AT LEAST shows the correct time TWICE a DAY whereas the slightly inaccurate one NEVER (ever) shows the right time. That is the story with the DexCom G7. Much of the time it just generates garbage results.

Please be warned.

Sri Lanka Cedes Another Port, This Time An Airport, To Foreign Powers — India + Russia!

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by Anura Guruge
on April 26, 2024

Click to ENLARGE. News snippets from ‘Google News‘.

This can’t be good. China already has a 99-year lease on deep-sea HARBOR nearby. Then, {as I reported} folks talk about ‘Russian Enclaves‘ in Sri Lanka. Now this. So, now China, India & Russia — a rather curious trinity — legally have footholds in Sri Lanka, controlling ports to boot.

Some of this {maybe much of it} probably has to do with the rampant corruption in the upper echelons of the government. Sri Lanka has been plagued by corruption & mismanagement for at least the last 50 years — & they have only been independent (from the British) for 76-years. I don’t think it was always the case. I think the first batch of leaders we had, straight after Independence {i.e., the ones I were personally familiar with}, weren’t totally corrupt. From what I could see {& I had quite a good & privileged vantage} they genuinely cared. They wanted to make something of the much sought Independence.

I could be wrong, but I think the corruption crept in during the late 1960s.

I, obviously, have no skin in this game. I gave up my Sri Lankan citizenship in 1983. I haven’t been back since 1992. So, this is all kind of academic. Historic.

I think China should TAKEOVER Sri Lanka. They own much of the Sri Lankan debt. Sri Lankans aren’t doing a very good job taking care of their country.

Google’s Dividend (& Stock Buyback): I Am V. Leery.

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by Anura Guruge
on April 26, 2024

Click to ENLARGE. News snippets from ‘Google News‘.

Successful, high-flying HIGH TECH stocks never gave dividends.

This goes back to the ‘dot.com’ era of the late 1990s — which I was lucky enough to live through & benefit from.

Amazon still does NOT do a dividend & unlikely to do so anytime soon.

Announcing a dividend (along with a massive stock buyback) is a ‘cheap’ way to make one’s stock attractive.

That Google is doing this now makes me leery. IF all is GOOD when it comes to AI etc. they didn’t NEED to do this. Unnecessary. This feels like an attempt to prop up the stock because they are concerned that they might be losing ground.

Oh, I own Google. So, this is NOT sour grapes. But, it is because of this that I am concerned. So, we are GOOD for now, but what about next year? That is the question.

“What Exactly Does IBM Do?” — Damn SHAME That This Has To Be Asked By The Media.

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by Anura Guruge
on April 26, 2024

Click to ENLARGE. News snippets from ‘Google News‘.

As a proud ex-IBMer, who made 90% of his income during his working career thanks to my in-depth knowledge of IBM technology — & who used to claim that “IF cut deep, I bleed ‘blue‘” — I found this headline most distressing, BUT I fully understood why it was posed.

IBM, alas, is NOT what it used to be — the computing behemoth that had 70% of the datacenter market. Those were the days. I was lucky enough to be a part of IBM in those halcyon days though I started to see — & write about — its decline in the late 1990s.

The last CEO, viz., ‘gin-and-tonic’ Rometty (who was an unmitigated disaster) and the current clueless clown have run IBM to the ground. Have no idea what IBM is all about. Shame. Well, I could wax lyrical for days. It is very distressing.

I am so GLAD that I managed to enjoy working for IBM — both as an employee and then as a consultant.

IBM is still dear to my heart. I always wish IBM well.

‘Russian Orthodox Church’ Makes It Very Clear That It Is Ultra-Partisan.

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by Anura Guruge
on April 25, 2024

Click to ENLARGE. News snippets from ‘Google News‘.

I happened to hear of this 3-year suspension of the Priest who attended poor “Alexei Navalny’s” burial on the BBC yesterday — & was quite shocked. I don’t pay that much attention to this Church and as such had NOT realized that it was flagrantly & unashamedly partisan. Wow. Quite the thing.

I know that Pope Francis has had some dealings with ‘Patriarch Kirill‘. I find it hard to comprehend how the Catholic Church could reconcile this level of partisanship — in the 21st century. But, then again they had the Papal States. Plus, as we kind of suspect, Francis is somewhat sympathetic with Russia.

Well, this is outside of my real scope of interest & coverage — BUT I wanted to make sure that you heard about it. Now you have.

“Joe Biden’s” Prophetic Freudian Slip: “We Can’t Be Trusted”. [Damn Right, Joe. Damn Right.]

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by Anura Guruge
on April 24, 2024

Click to ENLARGE. Click to access original story at U.K. ‘Daily Mail’.

Damn RIGHT, Joe, damn bloody RIGHT. You cannot be TRUSTED. You need to be impeached.

I can’t wait to see him leave office next January. He will probably be in a wheelchair by then — with an IV by his side. Worst President ever. Done so much harm to the U.S.

I used to be a HUGE fan. He has managed to totally alienate me. Shame. All I wanted him to do was GRACIOUSLY & gracefully step aside & let a younger, more capable person run against Trump. Oh, NO! His bloody ego. he just doesn’t see how old, feeble and doddering he is.

Well these are the TRUEST WORDS he has spoken during his whole pathetic Presidency.

“We can’t be Trusted” — Joe Biden.

I AGREE With ‘Bill Barr’ That ‘Biden’ Is NOW A Bigger Threat To The U.S.A. Than ‘Trump’.

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by Anura Guruge
on April 23, 2024

Click to ENLARGE. Click to access original story at U.K. ‘Daily Mail’.

I have NEVER liked ‘Bill Barr‘. I don’t like him now either. But, on this matter, I (ALAS) have to agree with him — since I feel, 100%, the SAME WAY.

Biden is NOW a bigger threat to the welfare of the U.S. than Trump!

It is true. Biden is weak, indecisive and nobody respects him. The borders are BEYOND A MESS and inflation is unabetting. I am so fed up of seeing him shuffling about, looking lost & confused and talking like the VERY OLD MAN he is. We need a STRONG President.

I am NOT sure I can vote for Trump, BUT I will NOT (I repeat, ‘NOT’), vote for Biden.

Biden is letting us ALL down. The world thinks we are weak. As I have pointed out the U.K. & Poland have already ACCEPTED that Trump will be the next president. There can no longer be any doubt or debate that Trump will WIN the November election by a landslide. I doubt whether Biden will more than 5 states!

IF ‘Pope Francis’ Is Well Enough To Travel To Asia, He Should Convene A Consistory BEFORE He Leaves.

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by Anura Guruge
on April 23, 2024

Click to ENLARGE. Base news stories from ‘Google News‘.
Click to ENLARGE. From MY magic Excel spreadsheet.

For the last few months I have been advocating that Francis really should hold another cardinal creating consistory to CEMENT HIS legacy as the pope who modernized the Catholic Church and brought it, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century (albeit with no concessions to transgender folks).

Per the current cardinal elector demographics the NEXT POPE will end up as centrist — somebody in the middle.

Neither camp, i.e., the reformists (i.e., Francis‘ acolytes) nor the traditionalists (i.e., those led by U.S. Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke) have sufficient votes to gain the 67% supre-majority needed to get a new pope. The Francis camp is short by AT LEAST 10. That, on paper, he created the 73% of the current slate of electors means diddly. They are NOT all going to vote for ‘Franic II’.

Francis needs to create AT LEAST 22 young, radical REFORMISTS. This is his LAST CHANCE to make a difference. Make sure the Church is RE-FORMED.

Francis has held an August consistory. He should do it AGAIN. Create 22 (or more) electors. Then he could rest knowing he has done his job.

Newly (Re)Discovered ‘Raphael’ In France — I Am Skeptical.

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by Anura Guruge
on April 22, 2024

Click to ENLARGE. Click to access original (from ‘AFP’) via ‘Yahoo’.

I heard about this painting, this morning, on ‘BBC‘. I was skeptical. Had to look it up — & I did. I am still skeptical.

Collector bought it, online, from a London gallery for $37,000 last year.

Initially authenticated by ONE ‘expert’. Then by AI?

But, just three days earlier I had seen this:

Click to ENLARGE. Click to access original from ‘science alert’.

Just seems too good to be true. It just doesn’t sit well with me. Plus, to my UNTRAINED eye it doesn’t have the usual delicate magic of a Raphael. Kind of a spooky image.

Well, you decide. I just wanted to share the story & my doubts with YOU.

‘Trump’ Hush Money Jury Will Be HUNG, Given Where They Say They Get Their News.

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by Anura Guruge
on April 21, 2024

Click to ENLARGE. From “The New York Times”.

From my April 19, 2024 post about the Foreman reading the U.K. “Daily News”.

Click to ENLARGE. For U.K. ‘DailyMail’ story.

You only need ONE JUROR to dissent to get a HUNG JURY.

I already told you that the Foreman (i.e., the 1st juror who is seated) was a U.K. ‘Daily Mail’ read (just like I). The Daily Mail is conservative and VERY PRO-Trump.

Now we have the complete list (or table) thanks to “The New York Times“.

There is one juror, i.e., #2, who gets their news from Trump’s ‘Truth Social’. Sacré bloody bleu! Has to be partial to Trump. Another from ‘Fox News‘.

This jury will be HUNG.

To go forward with this trial is a travesty. A WASTE of NY Tax Payer money.

HUNG JURY. Mark My Words.