tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.comments2023-03-12T11:56:29.534-05:00Tams' MusingsTamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09049732223163791663noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-59403361145879433042010-07-27T13:19:06.008-05:002010-07-27T13:19:06.008-05:00hmmmm....it did not post the previous comment so I...hmmmm....it did not post the previous comment so I will try again. It's stori and I am alive and well. I have never forgotten you or your friendship, you are one of the few I remember...and Jeff...tell him also for me and to you, thank-you for your friendship, it was something i did not have often :)I'll check back and maybe....who knows?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-63843204020598024942010-03-16T21:23:40.909-05:002010-03-16T21:23:40.909-05:00I enjoyed the article immensely (sp?) and wish to ...I enjoyed the article immensely (sp?) and wish to thank you for posting it. I too am a student of Heinlein and agree that for a great many humans, requiring total lifelong allegience to one person with never a quiver or quaver is a bit much to ask, although that is what I have opted for myself.<br /><br />I would invite you and any of your readers to visit my blog <a href="http://fitness-after-40.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Fitness After 40</a>.<br /><br />Have a great day.<br /><br />DonDonovan Baldwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13563601053678926599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-12184499587480020492009-11-07T12:55:39.201-05:002009-11-07T12:55:39.201-05:00Thanks for the comments, ideas and support. I woul...Thanks for the comments, ideas and support. I would love to see a medical co-op created and run by doctors, and I'm also going to check into an acupuncturist. <br /><br />Now if we can just get everyone we know to flood our representatives with these stories or similar ones, maybe we can make that change happen. <br /><br />I've already done so. For any of my readers in GA, our senators' contact links are: <br /><br />http://isakson.senate.gov/contact.cfm<br /><br />and<br /><br />http://chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email<br /><br />To find your own representative, try this site:<br /><br />https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml<br /><br />Thanks again to everyone. Have a great day!Tamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09049732223163791663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-73430906288997905902009-11-07T09:34:32.287-05:002009-11-07T09:34:32.287-05:00I agree too. I have had some very negative experie...I agree too. I have had some very negative experiences with health care, or rather the lack of it. <br /><br />I've been on both sides of this issue. I have had insurance and not had insurance. I will spare you all the details. I feel that others have already summed up my point of view rather succinctly and eloquently. <br /><br />Mrs. Payne well said very well said.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12016695702368338483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-70577130745208217022009-11-06T19:59:34.458-05:002009-11-06T19:59:34.458-05:00I just read an article in my food co-op magazine t...I just read an article in my food co-op magazine that was talking about doctors possibly forming a medical co-op where they wouldn't be held captive to the ridiculous insurance mandates. How awesome would that be?! It's not medically proven but maybe your family member could be helped by an acupunturist. <br /><br />ElenaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-44511921894196359532009-11-06T17:21:36.351-05:002009-11-06T17:21:36.351-05:00I totally agree with you Tammy, I have had similar...I totally agree with you Tammy, I have had similar experiences with the healthcare system in this country and have had others that were fabulous, it is the lack of consistancy in the way healthcare facilities practice as to whether or not you will find a solution to your ailment or not. I know alot of people get into the doctor business because it is where the money is and that is not a good reason to be a doctor or any kind of health care provider from orderlies and nurses right on up to specialists. My daughter and I have had a couple of experiences where the doctor in question SUCKED and then others where the doctor was phenominal. One Psychiatrist in particular, I wanted to throttle because he just wanted to medicate her and not really find out what her problems were, she was already diagnosed as being severely depressed and so he just went with that instead of talking to her and me and finding out what else could possibly be wrong when the medications weren't working that well. Come to find out lately with the newest doctor that she is ADD and wouldn't you know I had suspected that from the time she was 4 years old, but never got a doctor who would listen to me or to her. Actually I thought she was ADHD but anyway, I was close. When she was a teenager I thought she might be bipolar like me since it runs down the mothers line usually, no, it was ADD. At least someone listened. The point is the difference between these two doctors is amazing, one wanted the money from the several visits he scheduled every 15 minutes through the day and the other one was listening to what was coming out of my daughters mouth and really hearing the situation. The first doctor is probably one who got into the business to get rich and the other one did it for the love of helping people. Therein lies ONE of the problems with our healthcare system, it needs to be picked through and the jackasses who do it for the money should be weeded out. Then there should be a cap put on how much a doctor or hc facility can charge for any given procedure and regular visit, and in cases like yours where one doc hands you off to another cause he is not sure what you got or too lazy to try and figure it out, you should be refunded the copay since he did nothing for you. And then watch the ones that are in it for the money run like the wind to become lawyers, lol. Then you need to do the same thing to the insurance companies, put a cap on how much they can charge you for premiums, take the cut throat business out of it and put in its place an element of " WE CARE" at the heart of it and then you will see the insurance companies quickly turn into used car dealers,lol. The insurance companies don't give a shit about you or your health, only the profit made for the year,and that includes not paying out if they can get away with it, leaving you holding the bag and the bills. And in the middle of all this, the patient suffers until they finally die from noone caring about them, the whole reason for both the hc system and the insurance companies.<br /> <br /> I agree with Tammy, it is time to take action and do something about the sorry state of our nations healthcare and stop sitting around debating it and talking about it, while other countries already have a better system and their citizens don't worry about getting care because it is always there if they need it. In alot of these countries you may have to sit in line for hours on end to get that care, but at least you get to the end of the line where someone is waiting to help you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-35723336058976599282009-10-25T18:34:11.364-05:002009-10-25T18:34:11.364-05:00http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/gaggle-...http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/gaggle-deputy-press-secretary-bill-burton-aboard-air-force-one-en-route-boston-ma-1<br /><br />Looks like the report of Obama not supporting a public option are not credible.Benjamin E. New Esq.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16099351501264894438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-55025414746564417992009-10-03T14:30:17.386-05:002009-10-03T14:30:17.386-05:00Well, I would like to gather a diverse group acros...Well, I would like to gather a diverse group across class, race, age, region, sexual orientation, religion, etc. I know it may take a while, but I want this group to get really comfortable sharing information and trusting that what is said in the group stays in the group. We can share the learning, but no one's specific story. Ideally, I'd like to have a monthly or twice monthly discussion over conference call or an online voice over ip software like TeamSpeak. <br /><br />In addition, I'm going to create a secure online space for the group to have for offline discussion, sharing of learning, news related to our discussions, etc. <br /><br />Ultimately, I want us to all be able to learn from each other's experience, to describe, even if it's anecdotally, the dynamics of class and how power intersects with it.Tamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09049732223163791663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-36017356156678828242009-10-03T02:57:19.171-05:002009-10-03T02:57:19.171-05:00Hi Tammy,
How are you proposing to go about this d...Hi Tammy,<br />How are you proposing to go about this discussion group? Grayson by the way, before running for congress, was first to go after contractors ripping off the taxpayers in Iraq boondoggle. He successfully prosecuted quite a few of them. An interesting guy.Ben Newhttp://mightyparrotband.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-32380216116797719122009-09-16T13:37:47.811-05:002009-09-16T13:37:47.811-05:00I majored in journalism and one of my favorite pro...I majored in journalism and one of my favorite professors, Wendy Waite, sat me down my senior year and shared some reality with me about the industry. She was my media ethics professor, and she was a powerful influence in setting my compass about journalistic integrity. She made me realize that while I was great at writing, especially investigative or special interest feature stories, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the constant struggle I would experience between the business and my ethics, and when she said I'd have to move around a lot to move up the ladder, that just sealed my fate against pursuing what had been my chosen profession.<br /><br />And I agree with you about that change in focus on news media companies to earn larger and larger profits instead of performing a public service has been disastrous. <br /><br />Fortunately, with our expanded access to both information and music on the internet, I think we're now able to have different voices in addition to the ones big businesses support. Perhaps today's age will become known as a time when new classics were made and discovered.Tamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09049732223163791663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-28964372248267526312009-09-16T02:32:05.246-05:002009-09-16T02:32:05.246-05:00Not surprised that your views are similar to mine....Not surprised that your views are similar to mine.<br />To some degree, the loss of independent media (the 4th estate, as the framers of the constitution referred to it) is a factor to be sure. I had no idea what reporters or newscasters opinions were about Viet Nam for instance when I was growing up. A small segment of news was labeled as opinion and always disassociated with the broadcast or newspaper by a disclaimer. Now it is very difficult to find facts and honest reporting, it's always more opinion and spin than news. We can pinpoint the start of this with the deregulation Newt Gingrich lobbied for on behalf of Rupert Murdoch. Before deregulation, a single owner or corporation could only own 1 media outlet in any given market. Only U.S. citizens could own U.S. news outlets (This was the thing that prevented Murdoch from buying up U.S. media.) The general trend of giant corporations gobbling up all the smaller ones until only a handful controlled a market entirely used to be called monopoly and was outlawed by wiser people who experienced the ills caused by monopolization 1st hand. Murdoch was of course only one example of the problem. Look at what corporate conglomeration did for/to the music industry. When all that stuff we consider classic was recorded, there were thousands of small record companies representing a multitude of views about what was valuable music, then slowly but surely corporations saw some of these folks were making lots of money and moved in. By the 1990s instead of thousands of companies independently owned there were only 5. Where a small company was happy to sell 70,000 copies, the big companies couldn't be bothered unless they could sell millions. This is like MacDonald's buying every restaurant in the world and turning it into a cheap fast food joint. News is the same, it's been turned into entertainment, though not only is it reduced to the lowest common denominator,(lowest IQ as well) it now is very easily manipulated because there are so few sources. We have witnessed the end of news media as the 4th estate. You now have people who profit by whipping up hysterical fanaticism, crying crocodile tears and exploiting the less intelligent among us. The biggest problem we face has nothing to do with right or left. It's a battle against the dumbing down of the population. The dumber they are the easier they are to manipulate. This is why you have the complete loss of civility in circles... mobs of horribly misinformed perhaps innocent but largely unintelligent people whose fears, frustrations, and prejudices are wholly exploited and incited. It's downright sad.Ben Newhttp://mightyparrotband.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-48525921332904813682009-08-18T21:42:43.571-05:002009-08-18T21:42:43.571-05:00Here's a link to a petition to our government ...Here's a link to a petition to our government to keep the public option as part of health care reform: http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/publicoption_bo/?rc=fb_share1.boxTamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09049732223163791663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-59968733605485780252009-08-18T20:57:34.509-05:002009-08-18T20:57:34.509-05:00Wow, that is a great coincidence. I'll tune in...Wow, that is a great coincidence. I'll tune in and definitely share your interview with my Atlanta friends. Thanks for calling attention to this very important issue.Tamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09049732223163791663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-77113317135405428682009-08-18T08:09:48.105-05:002009-08-18T08:09:48.105-05:00Thanks for your comment on my Huffington Post piec...Thanks for your comment on my Huffington Post piece. By coincidence, I'm going to be talking about my book, "The Life You Save: Nine Steps to Finding the Best Medical Care - and Avoiding the Worst," at 6:30 pm Wednesday on WRFG 89.3FM in Atlanta. you can watch and listen to other media interviews with me at my book site: http://lifeyousave.com <br /> Patrick MalonePatrick Malonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04698169553632015450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-58377905143398130852009-08-17T21:53:54.974-05:002009-08-17T21:53:54.974-05:00Wishing you best of luck in finding that new futur...Wishing you best of luck in finding that new future!SKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-54028572365720734542009-08-14T22:22:28.605-05:002009-08-14T22:22:28.605-05:00RIP indeed.RIP indeed.kayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14036374413828047766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-3362893545599168242009-08-10T21:54:26.781-05:002009-08-10T21:54:26.781-05:00Mark, I hadn't thought of that humanizing the ...Mark, I hadn't thought of that humanizing the worker perspective, and I think you're right. I would also propose that differences among generations could also be a factor that would contribute to the humanizing of the workplace. <br /><br />From your broader context perspective, I think you said perfectly what I was trying to describe in my original post. Thanks and I hope you'll let me quote you in the future.Tamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09049732223163791663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-1368176678666186892009-08-10T17:41:41.277-05:002009-08-10T17:41:41.277-05:00If people universally lived the golden rule, 90% o...If people universally lived the golden rule, 90% of all laws - and the bulk of our legal and military economy (courts, jails, lawyers, law makers, police, soldiers, etc.) - would be superfluous. Interestingly, every major religion has some version of the golden rule. Strikes me as a universal truth, if not yet a universal practice. Maybe in our lifetime..?<br /><br />-Mark VanderpoolAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-50579176508793775162009-08-10T15:55:45.058-05:002009-08-10T15:55:45.058-05:00Tams, you asked the LinkedIn "Agents of Diver...Tams, you asked the LinkedIn "Agents of Diversity Change" group to weigh in.<br /><br />The value I saw from a corporate perspective was that diversity represented the humanizing of the workplace. Traditionally, we have been workers first, male and female a VERY distant second... and almost everything else we were expected to "leave at home" in the name of professionalism. With the advent of the diversity movement, it began to be OK to have a personality, a gender, an ethnicity, an orientation... in short, to be people who were working, not just workers. That was what really hooked me. But then I was always running a quiet revolution under the radar.<br /><br />In the broader context, I see the diversity journey as one of expanding our sense of "us" while decreasing our sense of "them." When we have a sense of some commonality - any commonality - even if that is just a shared smile or laugh or groan, then we have something to work with. We can begin to shed the defenses, to show up "real," to be more of ourselves and see - hopefully also appreciate - more of others.<br /><br />-Mark VanderpoolAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-26769863226428533102009-08-07T03:20:50.724-05:002009-08-07T03:20:50.724-05:00Thanks, Ben. You made me think of the quote: "...Thanks, Ben. You made me think of the quote: "The unexamined life is not worth living." I believe that came from Socrates, and if not, Plato. <br /><br />I also love how you interpret diversity as a form of personal growth. It's definitely been a huge amount of personal growth for me the last few years. As a trainer, I always tried to include humor in whatever I was delivering. Once I started working in the diversity world at my former company, I realized that I censored myself a lot at first because I was worried about saying the wrong thing or hurting someone's feelings. That self-censorship felt wrong, and while it was what we called "raggedy" at the office, we finally started speaking from our hearts. While we may not have always said it "the right way," we always tried to learn from one another and we all assumed that if language from some of us was raggedy, it was from a place of good intent and that we're hoping someone would help us out with our understanding.<br /><br />Whew... Didn't realize it was so late. Let's hope these comments stand up to the light of day... which should be happening in just a few short hours... sigh. sometimes being a night owl is for the birds. = )Tamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09049732223163791663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-87601619153023932882009-08-06T20:05:41.703-05:002009-08-06T20:05:41.703-05:00I think it's a matter of simply being objectiv...I think it's a matter of simply being objective.<br />Growth can only occur if one honestly constantly examines their belief systems and evaluates their integrity. This is where many simply go astray, they alter their perceived reality to fit their belief systems instead of vice versa. <br />Humor IS a comfortable way to get people to do this.Ben Newhttp://mightyparrot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-82088632523152607782009-08-03T13:47:24.577-05:002009-08-03T13:47:24.577-05:00I think that there are positives and negatives in ...I think that there are positives and negatives in this.<br /><br />The positive is that eventually we will have every living person and a lot of their past family's DNA on file and can make a connection and follow a pattern to study the inheritance probability and evolution of all genetic diseases and the like. It will help us figure out SO much about how they are passed and when they are likely to surface and how they change so we can predict their future evolutions and make vaccines and take preventative measures. (I want to study bones and past diseases to help do the same thing).<br /><br />BUT, the government could use our essential DNA to track any person they wanted with the right technology. If someone "needed" to be silenced, assassinated, tracked, whatever...they could do it. I wasn't a huge fan of the Patriot Act in its entirety, either and this is far worse. While there is much good that can come of it, I don't trust mankind enough to always use it correctly. We can't guarantee that there won't be some jerk in the government that uses it for evil purposes.<br /><br />~CaitlinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-11208899551946665552009-08-02T19:02:46.632-05:002009-08-02T19:02:46.632-05:00Brad, I think you just touched on why the idea was...Brad, I think you just touched on why the idea was bothering me. Thanks, I've missed our talks!Tamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09049732223163791663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-54350475358844087772009-08-02T15:13:37.517-05:002009-08-02T15:13:37.517-05:00Get your hands on a book by Michael Crichton calle...Get your hands on a book by Michael Crichton called Next. It touches on the idea of a DNA database, gene patents and who really owns genetic material. There's some really disturbing stuff in there.<br /><br />I wasn't aware that the DNA collection from infants had started. What's it going to be used for? Who's overseeing this? How do people get information regarding their DNA/genetic material and who's looking at what it contains. Does my insurance company get to look at it and see if I'm predisposed towards Cancer, Diabetes, Heart DIsease and and refuse to sell me insurance because of it? <br /><br />If you think someone won't try it you're very naive. If an agenda can be moved forward or a profit made from it, rest assured that some damned fool will try itBrad Rowlandnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15211552.post-90790792347460022562009-08-02T14:34:11.825-05:002009-08-02T14:34:11.825-05:00Thanks for the idea, Susan, I think you're rig...Thanks for the idea, Susan, I think you're right, it could be for investigative purposes. When you say that, where I go to is being fingerprinted when I was in the 5th grade just in case we were kidnapped. But in my case, my parents had to give their consent for the fingerprinting.<br /><br />If it were for this purpose, I could also support it, again as long as parental consent was provided. I don't know, there's just something about this that feels like the biggest intrusion into the privacy of every citizen being born today... along with their parents and relatives. <br /><br />While it may be too late at the moment, I still think it's worth raising awareness about. I want to be a mother, but the idea of the government having my possible son or daughter's DNA on file as government property really bothers me. I wonder how many other parents out there don't even know this law has been passed?Tamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09049732223163791663noreply@blogger.com