YaYa's Funhouse

Normally I don't follow domestic type blogs. Everybody is just to damn happy, ya know? Anyway, I happened upon YaYa's Funhouse today and had myself a good laugh. Not only does she love Lucy as do I but we are the same age living in the same town...how strange is that? Anyway this is what I found over there:

"WHAT WE'VE LEARNED IN THE SOUTH

-A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road
-There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 of them live in South
-There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in South
-If it grows, it'll stick ya. If it crawls, it'll bite cha
-It is not a shopping cart, it's a buggy
-People actually grow and eat okra
-There is no such thing as 'lunch.' There is only dinner and then there is supper
-Iced tea is appropriate for all meals, and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar
-Backwards and forwards means, 'I know everything about you'
-You don't have to wear a watch, because it doesn't matter what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see
-You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH EM
-You measure distance in minutes
-You switch from heat to A/C in the same day
-The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local gossip and high school football
-You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday
-You find 100 degrees Fahrenheit 'a bit warm'
-You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas
-You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good chili weather"

Don't I post my chili recipe right after the first cool snap? The possum cracked me up. She got the seasons right, that's for sure, but the one that got me was switching from heat to A/C in the same day...we're in that pattern right now :) go on over and have a gander...

Worried about your stats?

Go on over to Men with Pens today and get some love...or get your butt kicked if you need it :)

John Hope Franklin--Rest Now, You're Work Here on Earth in Done

John Hope Franklin Memorial Website

Biography

The John Hope Franklin Center

Author John Hope Franklin

johnhopefranklin.com

The John Hope Franklin Collection at Duke University


Wiki page

This is what you get when you insist on "abstinance only" programs

There are three things I know to be true in this area:

1) Sex is going to always and forever be participated in.

2) There are always going to be unwanted pregnancies.

3) There are always going to be male partners who refuse to accept the responsibility for what they helped create.

Click the title link for the solution to an unwanted pregnancy some have chosen.

As Reas would say *head -> desk*

Youth Violence Prevention Week: March 23-27

The National Criminal Justice Reference Service has a special feature up in recognition of this week.

"NCJRS has created this Special Feature to focus on violence among youths and the prevention of such violence.

The pages of this Special Feature contain compilations of topical publications and related resources on juvenile violence, youth violence research, juvenile gun and gang activity, statistics, and youth violence prevention."

Preachin' to the Choir...

Found this on medpagetoday

"WASHINGTON, March 20 -- One patient in four with a chronic condition has postponed healthcare or filling a prescription in the past year because he can't afford it, researchers here said.
Action Points

* Explain that 25% of patients with a chronic condition -- especially Latinos, middle-age women, and the poor -- can't afford their care.


* Note that many are dissatisfied with the care they do receive, with about 45% wishing their physician could spend more time addressing their needs.

Latinos (43%) and middle-age women (39%) are among those more likely to report delaying care, according to a survey by the National Council on Aging.

Although the poor are more likely to report delaying care, 22% of patients with household incomes above $50,000 have done so, according to the survey.

Those who have put postponed treatment are also more likely to be in frequent physical pain (45% versus 28% of those who have not delayed care), to be fatigued (49% versus 28%), and to be stressed (40% versus 17%).

The survey -- conducted between Jan. 5 and Jan. 30, 2009 among 1,109 adults ages 44 and up with at least one chronic condition -- is a snapshot of patients living with chronic conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, hypertension, and diabetes.

The survey included an oversample of those 65 and older (n=594 total), as well as an oversample of Latinos (n=142 total). The margin of sampling error for the total results is +2.9 percentage points.

Many report dissatisfaction with the care they receive. Some 44% wish their physician had more time to spend talking to them about their condition, and 45% said they never get referrals to important chronic care resources such as counselors and health educators.

Nearly a third report leaving their physician's office confused about what they should do regarding their care, and many say their providers aren't doing anything to improve their care.

About 57% said their physicians haven't asked whether they have help at home to manage their problems, and 45% said they rarely or never receive referrals to support services such as classes, counselors, or health educators.

Many patients are living with several chronic diseases: 68% report having two or more conditions and 20% have four or more.

Those with one chronic condition are healthier, have higher incomes, and have more support at home; while those with multiple conditions tend to have low incomes and less support.

Half of those with chronic conditions are unhappy or depressed at least occasionally because of their health problems, and 32% report having to cut back on social activities. A little more than a quarter report having to miss work.

Almost 40% of patients said they don't have the money to begin improving their health, a percentage that's particularly high among Latinos (63%), African Americans (58%), the poor (65%) and those with four or more chronic conditions (59%).

However, 70% said learning how to exercise or eat better in ways that work with their limitations would help them cope, and 68% say getting advice from others with similar conditions would help as well.

Fifty-six percent of Americans 44 and older with chronic conditions are Internet users -- and of these, 63% say they would be interested in going to Web sites sponsored by health organizations to get information and support.

Even 27% of those who rarely or never use the Internet say they would be interested in going to Web sites for information and support.

Nancy Whitelaw, senior vice president of the Center for Health Aging at the National Council on Aging, said the report highlights the need to reform the healthcare system in order to support patients with chronic conditions.

"We encourage physicians not to take on the responsibility themselves, but to build a mechanism to refer patients to community-based health education programs that are effective," Whitelaw said.

She added that physicians can help connect patients to such programs via a community agency that deals with the aging.

The survey was funded by the Atlantic Philanthropies and the California HealthCare Foundation.

Primary source: National Council on Aging
Source reference:
"Reforming healthcare: American speak out about chronic conditions and the pursuit of healthier lives" NCOA 2009."

Here's another one from the New York Times...if you have the stomach for it this morning...

The Best Post I've Read on AIG Al Week

Normally I read Crooks and Liars, The Daily Bail and AMERICABlog to keep me up to speed on all things "bailout" and the news world in general. Today I was bored and a bit lonely because the boy is on his first "road trip" with eight other boys (way more undisciplined than him) so I was wandering about the blogosphere.

I found this commentary by Richard Blair over at All Spin Zone "Lennon/McCartney Address the AIG Concern Trolls" Although I'm not quite sure why they have pictures of Ann Coulter all over their home page and it is funny that when you click on the Ann Coulter pictures there is a "page not found" error that comes up, go have a read :)

Oh, shoot I haven't thrown my tomatoes at AIG yet today...must go do that :)

Medical Schools Must Reform How They Train Physicians

Woo Hoo! It sounds like they might finally be getting it...that you must learn to look at the whole person and consider all factors that might be influencing the health of that person. I would be a bit choked up except for the fact it almost seems like to little to late, but at least they are finally acknowledging there is a problem.

Click the title link for the press release. Click Revisiting the Medical School Educational Mission at a Time of Expansion

Go Throw Some Tomatoes at AIG...It'll Make You Feel Better :)

Here's something you can do this weekend :)

"Subject: Help me throw 5 million tomatoes at AIG!

Hi,

The people at AIG who are most responsible for the severity of the financial crisis should be in jail. But instead, they're slated to get $450 million in bonuses. Infuriating, right?

So a MoveOn member created a game to show just how mad Americans are at AIG. It's called The Great AIG Tomato Toss and it's based on the idea that we should stop throwing money at the people who ruined our economy—and start throwing tomatoes.

I just played, and it's a blast. Can you play too—and help reach the goal of 5 million tomatoes thrown? http://www.moveon.org/tomato/

Thanks!"

Click here for some great AIG cartoons

A Birth Mother's Story

Go get a cup of coffee or whatever you need, some tissues and be prepared to sit for awhile, cry and remember when you read this post over at Shakesville. Read the comments too.

Sign the Petition Today!

"The people in AIG's financial products division are perhaps more responsible for the severity of our economic meltdown than anyone else.

And yet, they're getting $450 million in bonuses.

That's just plain unacceptable. On Wednesday, we have a chance to let AIG's leaders know what we think of their bonuses.

When AIG's executives appear before the House subcommittee, we'll make sure they hear your voices. We'll deliver all the signatures and comments we receive before 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday in time for Wednesday's hearing."

Click the title link to be taken to the page to sign the petition.

Hey AIG, Listen to Iowa Senater Grassley...

It's a shame he had to go back and cover his political ass but what he said in the first place is pretty much how we all feel...isn't it?

"The Republican lawmaker's harsh comments came Monday during an interview with Cedar Rapids, Iowa, radio station WMT. They echoed remarks he has made in the past about corporate executives and public apologies, but went further in suggesting suicide.

"I would suggest the first thing that would make me feel a little bit better towards them if they'd follow the Japanese example and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say, I'm sorry, and then either do one of two things: resign or go commit suicide," said Grassley.

Soon afterward, Grassley spokesman Casey Mills said the senator was speaking in hyperbole and "doesn't want U.S. executives to do that." He said his words were meant to say those who accept tax dollars and spend them on travel and bonuses do so irresponsibly.

Other Capitol Hill lawmakers also voiced their outrage over AIGs big bonuses, though in somewhat less violent terms.

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said he's disgusted by the news and is calling for a shake-up at AIG.

"These people may have a right to their bonuses. They don't have a right to their jobs forever," Frank said on NBC's "Today" show Monday. "It does appear to be that we're rewarding incompetence."

On Tuesday, a pair of congressional hearings will focus on the insurance industry.

A Senate panel will look into whether insurance companies should be regulated by states or the federal government. A House committee will examine systemic risk in the financial services industry, with an eye toward avoiding a repeat of the AIG situation, in which one company's fall could bring down an entire industry.

Both hearings are expected to provide lawmakers with opportunities to take a few more shots at AIG executives." Click the title link for the entire article.

AIG is at it again...oh, wait...they never stopped...

This just makes me want to vomit. Chris over at Americablog says it best. Here is Brilliant at Breakfast's take on it. Here's a New York Times article. It seems as though now they are saying they "have" to make 165 million in bonus payments because they are contractually obligated to do so for fear of being sued. The Wall Street Journal says the amount is more like 450 million.

As I sit here trying to figure out if I can afford my $9 inhaler from Wal-Mart or if I should go for the $4 nebulizer meds instead this makes me sick. Oh, hell yeah, please give them whatever they want and friggin' forget about the rest of us because it is much more important that precious AIG not get sued than whether or not I can breathe.

Here's a speech maybe everyone on Capitol Hill should read...TO BIG HAS FAILED

*edit*

Yesterday AIG finally posted a full list of their counterparties (the companies/banks that got your money) Click here for the full list.

Big Mama Thornton is up on the blues page

Click the title link to go have a listen :)

I Am Too Old For Zits!

I thought the one good thing about getting older was the teenage zit phase was long gone. Apparently, I was mistaken. I could swear that my aunt (the only one in the family with oily skin, like me) told me, not only that I would be glad I had that oily skin when I got older (when?) but, that as I got older the zits would clear up and go away never to be seen again. She lied to me and I'm pissed about it. The only time in my life I can remember not having a zit somewhere was when I was on birth control pills. That was an awesome time in my life, except for the fact that birth control pills also acted as fertility pills for me and every time I got off them I got pregnant.

Anyway I have five zits on my face and have had the same five zits on my face for at least a month now. I have washed. I have cleansed. I have creamed. I have used steaming hot water face cloths on them. I have walked around here with big, cracked white masks on my face. I have consumed gallons of water. Yesterday I even took the pumice heel scrubber to the dead skin around them, thinking that if I got rid of the dead skin then they would heal. Silly me. Granted, my face is as smooth as a baby's, but the-zits-are-still-there.

Thinking about birth control pills reminds me of the triage nurse in the emergency room during my last visit. For the first time someone actually used that dreaded word in reference to my general state of being "menopause" Aaaccckkk! It wasn't that she used the dreaded word, she just wrote it down on my chart without giving a second thought to the devastating effect it would have on me :) I'm sure she assumed I already knew I was in menopause. I know how old I am and I know a couple of years ago I had to swallow my pride to go get the bifocals and I know my hair gets more gray in it everyday, but menopause??? My bones are still strong, I don't have hot flashes and the puss hasn't dried up yet, so in my mind I am not in menopause. I refuse to believe I have to go on hormone therapy to get rid of some zits. I-just-refuse.

Ok, that's my rant for the day....I'm going to wash my face...again...

Petition for Accountability

Found the link to this petition over on Feministe today, thought you might be interested...

"Subject: Stop the banks from spending our tax dollars to lobby for Wal-Mart

Dear Friend,

Last fall, Congress authorized a massive bailout for the financial industry - $750 billion to be distributed without restrictions on how it could be spent. At the time, CREDO activists like you asked Congress to impose guidelines on banks for spending our tax dollars. But Congress didn't listen. And now we're paying the price.

This week, Citigroup spent some of its $50 billion in bailout money to organize big corporations to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act - a bill that would make it easier for workers to form unions and bargain for better wages and benefits. According to the Huffington Post, Citigroup's retail analyst Deborah Weinswig participated in a conference call for corporate interests working to kill the bill.

Just a few weeks ago, Weinswig gave the Wal-Mart a favorable 9.5 rating out of 10. But now, in a cynical bid to stoke public fears that stronger unions will have an adverse affect on stock values, Citigroup downgraded Wal-Mart's rating from "Buy" to "Hold."

It is unacceptable that banks like Citigroup and Bank of America have been spending our tax dollars to fight for legislation that boosts corporate profits at the expense of the middle class.

I just took action to tell the people charged with overseeing the bailout to investigate Citigroup and Bank of America. If these banks don't stop misspending their TARP money immediately, they should not receive another dime. I hope you'll sign the petition, too.

Please have a look and take action.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/banks_efca/?r_by=-1964283-Gup.HXx&rc=paste

Thanks!"

So Maybe I Must Re-Think My Catholicism

I've had a funny feeling deep in my gut ever since John Paul II died and this new pope was installed. See, right now I can't even recall his name. Being half Jewish by birth probably has something to do with it. The new pope's German heritage and the fact that he served with Hitler's Youth in his younger days probably has more to do with it. But I just read this article on what is going on in Cameroon to ready the country for his visit and now I know I must do some deep, deep soul searching. It's just the final straw, so to speak. I'll be watching and reading about how his holiness reacts to such deplorable treatment. Maybe I should do a complete post on why I disagree with our new pope? Much research must be done first.

My Middle School Vocabulary

**edit**

Ok, this is turning out to be one of my most linked to posts...and it was just a rant. It's right up there with "fried cornbread" So even though I don't understand how people are landing here because I'm not on google's first page of listings for "middle school vocabulary" I feel obligated to provide you links to what you are really looking for...

Middle School Vocabulary Practice Tests


vocabulary.com There are great tools here!

101 Middle School Vocabulary Words from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince


Your Vocabulary Building & Communication Training Center
Vocabulary Improvement Resources for Parents, Students & Professionals


Quizlet.com--flashcard sets

word search maker



Recently I was accused of having only a middle school vocabulary and it was suggested that I increase said vocabulary starting with children's books. Growing up I don't think I ever read a single "children's" book. We read Tolstoy, Sarte, Hemingway, Faulkner and the like in my house. When I was thirteen I tested at third year college level for reading and vocabulary.

When I had the boy I managed to keep my sanity through all the chaos by reading to him every children's book I could get my hands on. We loved Dr. Seuss the most, but we read everything from The Chronicles of Narnia, the Beatrix Potter series, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, we loved the Indian in the Cupboard and the Velveteen Rabbit, just to name a few.

My accuser doesn't know my history and only passed ever so slightly through here long enough to get ammunition to use against me to justify their own shortcomings. The whole thing is just sad.

It's sad that I didn't take Reas's word for it that the post made her angry and just leave it at that. I should have and I will from now on. :)

It's sad that I freely admit to only having a middle school vocabulary now and believe me I'm grateful for it. I think I do alright with what I have, considering what I went through. There was a time when I couldn't speak or write at all. I'm grateful the vocabulary loss is the only noticeable result of that terrible time in my life.

But the saddest thing of all is what I read that made me speak up with all my middle school vocabulary would allow me at that moment. What I read was a post from an ER nurse that was so filled with hate and racism I can not even link you to it for fear you will go read it. If you feel you must, go to Reas's page and you can find it there. Instead of blaming the system where the blame should be, she blamed the victim. It was also sad the number of comments she had that totally agreed with her and along with bashing me, invited me to take a walk on their side and then see how I felt.

I don't have to take that walk. I've lived it. I've lived with the disdain from doctors and nurses in the ER that write off the very idea that you might have any semblance of intelligence simply because you don't have insurance and have nowhere else to go to be treated. I've lived with "free" clinics that are filled beyond capacity and I have lived with being treated about as well as cattle going to slaughter.

What is not sad is that somewhere along the way I did manage to come across doctors and nurses and therapists with compassion and an understanding for me and my situation and they treated me with respect despite my circumstances. For these practitioners I will be forever grateful because were it not for them I would not have pulled myself out of the battered wife with a newborn syndrome. It was their strength of character and their compassion that made me believe there was light at the end of the seemingly endless tunnel.

I know I would be dead by now and so would the boy if all we had encountered were judgemental, biased, racist practitioners.

So I say to them...Take a look at how you really feel...maybe it's time to get out of the ER and go to a less stressful area of the hospital...maybe wherever it is in your hospital that the "insured" go.

The Second Road

The Second Road is a great place to spend some of your free time. TSR is all about recovery, recovery from more angles than you might have ever imagined. There are eight blogs involved, chat groups, forums, sharing walls and even raffles. They have recently launched a YouTube channel with different individual's stories of recovery. Check it out.