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yes..it's really 3:05 AM and I am not only unable to sleep (even with sleeping pill et al) but, yessiree, lucky moi lost her lower left crown. Pop, off it went. Of course what it covers up is absolutely grotesque looking and exposed. Ugh. I phoned the DDS office, and they are on vacay until the 6th !!! Dang.
I have a number of a DDS to try on the morrow. Happy 4th of july, no? no! [I guess this trumps seeing Mom on the 'morrow as planned]
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03:08 AM - link - |
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I had one more DVD en route from Netflix, and what a fantastic Film to end with. I saw it when it came out, way back when I was in Jr High !!! The impact was huge then, but to see it again, it has not lost it's impact, nor does it seem too dated for the year it was released ('69). I remembered the slogan "Z -- He is Alive", and I changed in my mind how many times it was spoken and /or displayed. I recall that I thought the music was inccredibly impactful, and back then, I didn't know who Yves Montand. I remember crying and clapping at the end when I first saw it, again, the appropriateness of that response has changed when I saw it today. It has moments of "All the President's Men", and "12 Angry Men", and other classics that grab you and take you for a ride that sticks with you even after the credits roll by. I suggest you rent or purchase "Z", grab your glasses (subtitles, unless you speak french), and get ready for a gem that will surprise you with it's current message, and probably sadden you with it's political message that has not manage to evolve at all since it's release.
Enjoy! .. oe
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07:04 PM - link - |
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Insomnia doing it's thing, I channelled surfed and found a fine "round-table" of the 9 "Democratic Women of the Senate" on Larry King. I hope they stream this so I can listen from the beginning, or, at a minimum, there is a transcript of the show available. WA has 2 women Senators, both in attendance. And, I'm so incredibly proud of the eloquence, and assertive, yet politic, way Patty Murray speaks. She was just addressing how there is a gap where the Republican majority will not recognize that our Vets need to be supported, most specifically health-wise when they come home. More staff, at the VA to handle the plethora of cases, including mental health. These folks, the troops, are so fatiqued and disheartened, and they need support to shore them up when they come stateside, in between stints to Iraq. These guys are tired and pushed beyond a person should be. And, yet, when home, we don't offer them the care they need. This is wrong wrong wrong! Keep up the good work Miz Patty!!!
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02:36 AM - link - |
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I don't know how this slipped under my radar, but let me remedy this now. Here are two articles re: Ann Coulter. What is she thinking? I always received the chills of dislike when I saw her on TV, now I know my instincts still can be more right than wrong "knock wood".
War Room
Is this the end for Ann Coulter? We know that it may be wishful thinking, but we'd like to think that the people who produce TV news shows feel some moral obligation to civility or responsible debate that transcends -- at least once in a great while -- their desire for a controversial guest. If we're right about that, then maybe, just maybe, we've seen the last of Ann Coulter on network TV. Coulter was last in the news for claiming that the 9/11 widows who oppose the policies of George W. Bush are guilty of "enjoying" their husbands' deaths. This time around? In an e-mail exchange with the editor of a conservative site, Coulter seems to be advocating the murder of Democratic Rep. Jack Murtha. As Editor and Publisher reports, Coulter was asked to do the name-association thing with several prominent Democrats. When she got to Murtha, Coulter wrote: "The reason soldiers invented 'fragging.'" "Fragging," as Editor and Publisher notes, is the Vietnam-era term to describe the killing of an officer by one of his own soldiers. -- Tim Grieve
[below is part of the article /statement which Grieve referred to above]
Memo to Coulter: Your Swift boat is leaking We've had our chance to respond to the callous remarks Republican pundit Ann Coulter made yesterday, and you've taken your turn, too. Now it's time to hear from the targets of Coulter's smears. Crooks and Liars asked Kristen Breitweiser and some other 9/11 widows for their thoughts on Coulter's claim that they're "enjoying" their husbands' deaths as they use them to manipulate public opinion on behalf of the Democrats.
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-- Tim Grieve
Wait! There's more...! First, here's a snap and short bio of Helen Thomas. It will be followed by a snap and quote taken from Time Magazine.
Helen Thomas (born August 4, 1920) is a news service reporter and a member of the White House press corps. She was White House Bureau Chief for United Press International (UPI), where she was employed for 57 years until resigning in May 17, 2000 when UPI was acquired by News World Communications. News World owns The Washington Times; Thomas stated she resigned because of News World's ties to Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church. Thomas then became a White House correspondent and King Features Syndicate (Hearst Corporation) columnist.
Thomas has covered every President since John F. Kennedy. Born in Winchester, Kentucky, Helen was raised in Detroit, Michigan where she attended public schools and later graduated from Wayne State University. Upon leaving college, she served as a copy girl on the now-defunct Washington Daily News.
Helen Thomas
Ann Coulter from Time Magazine article
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02:37 PM - link - |
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"Wordplay"
This charming documentary about the New York Times crossword puzzle and the people who love it is filled with myriad delights.
By Stephanie Zacharek [2006-06-16]
Read my note, in letters to the Salon editor re: above article. [BTW, my first recognition of Will Shortz' name, was when I subscribed (both incarnations) to "Games Magazine"]
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01:25 PM - link - |
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On the down side... Derek Parrott, a dear friend and phenom of a musician is leaving Sunday for Kuai. This time it won't be a month or so, he plans to make his home there. I will be posting photos from his bon voyage party that we held on Saturday night. I wish him the best of fortune, and greatness and "joy" . He is such a dear man and friend. The kids (Katie, Robby and Kathryn) were all reminiscing about their families camping together, and Gordy reading them Roald Dahl by the fire. Now the kids were talking about going camping together! I've missed so much of their lives as they grew up, it is a warmly sad feeling...but I'm lucky that they are in my life now. AND, I get to have Mikey, Robyn and Evan since their beginnings . Be safe Derek, come home soon!
Group Grope! moi, Big G, Derekdear, LovelyLisa
[other photos to be posted or linked to later]
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01:08 PM - link - |
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Mikey Graduates Kindergarten Today! Ceremony at 5:00 PM.
12:52 PM - link - |
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Today I received in the mail a survey from Rep. Rick Larsen, on Part D. It got my blood going, so I shall take this opportunity to vent a bit here, er I mean "share my views". The biggest thing that gets to me about Part D, is that it in NO WAY was implemented with the elderly or financially needy in mind. I know, we know it was made into law during Bush's term, so of course it wasn't meant to help anyone but the wealthiest and the big businesses, drugs (I'm sure there were incentives to certain plans by those companies - but I have no hard core facts) and also the mighty Insurance Machine (my shame of being from CT, withh Hartford being the "Insurance Capital of the World"). If I were able to revamp the Part D, first I would eliminate it. I know that for me, to pay both the Rx company a fee, as well as a medical supplement, aka medi-gap like insurance to help defray the cost of Mom's MD visits, and /or hospital, becomes quite prohibitive.. yet, when there was no Part D, we managed to pay one fee to encompass both at a fairly reasonable rate, and return of benefits. But, of course, once something is implemented, there is no way to remove it. So here's my alternative. Part D should be simple. Based on bids (to an independent source, or a committee that is representative of real people without special interests) submitted, a single "brokerage" or "insurance company" would be selected for EVERYONE!!! This would eliminate the confusing choices that Medicare recipients had to select from. For those of you who are not Medicare folk, nor had to choose for a member of your family, in my case my Mother, who could never have been able to negotiate the web of choices, even with the "help" of agents online and via the phone, not all of the options are equal.
- Some only cover certain drugs.
- Some only deal with certain Pharmacies.
- Co-pays vary with each plan.
- Monthly fees are different with each choice.
- Payment options are different, such as some will take it directly from your SSI, some will take money from your checking or savings account automatically, some will take credit cards, some will only take checks.
The implications of choosing a plan locks you in !!!
A good example of this is that my Mother, living at HomePlace, is set up for their system to purchase medicine for her. Their source when Mom entered in February was Payless in Oregon. Therefore, our choice was one that includes Payless as a pharmacy. Later, HomePlace changed their pharmacy to Consonus. This is something that I have no say in. Since HomePlace has residents who have certain Rx needs, they determined that this was the best resource for getting the drugs now. Probably it was financially beneficial. But, the dilemma came up that Mom's plan didn't recognize Consonus. I looked online, I phoned her plan and spoke to multiple people, and still, there was not match. If at that point I had to change plans, there is a penalty fee we'd have to pay. And, based on my earlier research, the one I chose had most of Mom's medicine in their list of acceptible drugs they cover. Luckily, I spoke to Consonus, and she assured me that I received misinformation, and that they do work with Mom's plan. So we managed to avoid a major change (this time). Recently Mom was sent to Sedro-Woolley, to hospital, to get her medicine adjusted and refined. I have not looked into it, and am going to wait until we get out of the "donut hole" (yes, we're paying full price for the next $2,500) to see if a lot of her new medicine is still covered by her plan. If not, I'll have to start from square one again, and research which plan suits her current needs best. Yes, this will incur a penalty fee.
Yes, this may recur if Mom's medicine changes again and aren't covered by her plan.
Yes, if HomePlace changes their resource, it might also require a change of plans for Mom, fee's included. Okay, back to my proposal. There would be absolutely no, none, nein, nicht, nada, rien, zero "donut holes". The idea that there is a point when the plan won't pay ANYTHING towards medication is ludicrous and negates everything about having initiated a drug plan supplemental to begin with. What were they thinking?!? The only thing that I would offer as an option in Part D, would be an "opt-out" clause. This would allow those that are well off, to not have to pay the fixed monthly rate for a drug plan within the Medicare system. Also, it would allow those who prefer to choose their own Medical supplement /Rx combination to do so without penalty. Later, if anyone chose to "opt-in" there would be no penalty. It is simply paperwork, or, a simple binary switch in the code, of 0 to 1. Voila. What we have is incredibly flawed, and I believe that most people have trouble navigating it on the best of days. So, I wonder, why didn't they talk to me first and use my system? The People Speak.
Bah Humbug!
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12:51 PM - link - |
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Eureka!!! I made it as a listed Producer in IMdb "Producer Zoe Jlisbeth Gillman" ..Wow!
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05:06 PM - link - |
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I may be too sheltered, but I think that Lt Watada is the first official Conscientious Objector as in he uses he brain to "conscientiously realize" that this "action" is illegal and be brave enough to say this aloud while still in the Military...(as Gordy reminds us, "remember Nuremberg"):
Army Lieutenant in Hawaii Refuses to Deploy Because of War Objections
Wednesday, June 07, 2006 SEATTLE — An Army lieutenant who has refused to deploy to Iraq with his Fort Lewis Stryker brigade was barred by his commanders from attending a news conference Wednesday. Instead, 1st Lt. Ehren Watada issued a videotaped statement, saying he had appealed to his commanders in his wish not to participate in the war. "It is my duty as a commissioned officer of the United States Army to speak out against grave injustices. My moral and legal obligation is to the Constitution and not those who would issue unlawful orders," Watada said, wearing a dark suit and blue tie rather than his military uniform. An American flag served as a backdrop.
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His commission requires that he serve as an active-duty Army officer for three years ending this Dec. 3, Seitz said. "He is willing to be court-martialed and go to prison because he believes the war is illegal," Marjorie Cohn, a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, said after Wednesday's midday news conference.
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Lt Watada
He's a fine Poster Boy, he speaks well, he is attractive, and he is doing it the "hard way", while in the Military.Good Job!
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11:06 PM - link - |
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Well, was anyone really expecting this administration to prosecute big bizness?
Medical Privacy Law Nets No Fines
Lax Enforcement Puts Patients' Files At Risk, Critics Say By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 5, 2006; Page A01 In the three years since Americans gained federal protection for their private medical information, the Bush administration has received thousands of complaints alleging violations but has not imposed a single civil fine and has prosecuted just two criminal cases. Of the 19,420 grievances lodged so far, the most common allegations have been that personal medical details were wrongly revealed, information was poorly protected, more details were disclosed than necessary, proper authorization was not obtained or patients were frustrated getting their own records.
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Two cases have resulted in criminal charges: A Seattle man was sentenced to 16 months in prison in 2004 for stealing credit card information from a cancer patient, and a Texas woman was convicted in March of selling an FBI agent's medical records.
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12:57 AM - link - |
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Awshit...another trap door, another false bottom...egads! Skipping the details for now, Mom now is residing, temporarily, at United Hospital in Sedro-Woolley.
I really like the people there; their attitude and caring disposition is just what she needs. The plan is to get Mom taking the most minimal, but most effective, of medication combination. With their watching her 24x7, they can see how she reacts to each dosage. So far, based on the people I have spoken with, and the ones I have met, they are very kind and patient people. This should be a short stay -- a maximum of 2 weeks, and hopefully, less. Yesterday, Gordy and I visited with Mom, and I talked with the head nurse. They really impress me as good people. Again, details at another entry. I just got off the phone with Mom, she was pretty aware which is encouraging. I then spoke to one of the nurses to address the probelm of Mom's ill-fitting dentures. She was funny and said that Mom left her a "napkin of grape skins". Sense of humor is key, always. Mom sounded more like her normalized self, although she is still weepy and depressed. She was less oriented on Gerry, and knew enough to ask about me and Gordy and how we were doing. I love her so much it hurts my heart physically. I really hope that she will know safety and love soon.
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02:32 PM - link - |
"walk this way..."
Igor [prnounced Eye-gore] from "Young Frankenstien" [pronounced Steen] --
there's more!
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We salute the Grammy nomination of the late great
Dave Van Ronk's final concert album: 
