My favorite family photo.

(Note: That's not my family.)

A Milestone in the Health Care Journey
by Ronald Brownstein
From the Atlantic, Nov 21 2009, 11:29 am

When I reached Jonathan Gruber on Thursday, he was working his way, page by laborious page, through the mammoth health care bill Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had unveiled just a few hours earlier. Gruber is a leading health economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who is consulted by politicians in both parties. He was one of almost two dozen top economists who sent President Obama a letter earlier this month insisting that reform won't succeed unless it "bends the curve" in the long-term growth of health care costs. And, on that front, Gruber likes what he sees in the Reid proposal. Actually he likes it a lot.

"I'm sort of a known skeptic on this stuff," Gruber told me. "My summary is it's really hard to figure out how to bend the cost curve, but I can't think of a thing to try that they didn't try. They really make the best effort anyone has ever made. Everything is in here....I can't think of anything I'd do that they are not doing in the bill. You couldn't have done better than they are doing."

The cost of Dying. About 15 minutes long 60 Minutes "essay" showing how irrational our decisions are (because, in part, they are motivated by politics rather than by rational deliberation about costs and benefits).

"Every other major industrialized nation but the United States has a budget for how much taxpayer funds are allocated to health care, because they've all recognized that you could bankrupt your country without it," David Walker told Kroft.

Asked if he is talking about rationing, Walker said, "Listen, we ration now. We just don't ration rationally. There's no question that there's gonna have to be some form of rationing. Let me be clear: Individuals and employers ought to be able to spend as much money as they want to have things done. But when you're talking about taxpayer resources, there's a limit as to how much resources we have." ...

After analyzing Medicare records for end-of-life treatment, Fisher is convinced that there is so much waste in the present system that if it were eliminated there would be no need to ration beneficial care to anyone.

You twist your ankle while sitting completely motionless, with your legs crossed, doing zazen (meditation). It is all seriously swollen and I can barely walk. 100 yards walk takes several minutes and adds pain and swelling. That's very bad for the pack. The Ladies need to run and sweating is good for me, too.

On the flip side, as the the great Zen master Torei said:

[Everything is] a compassionate device to liberate us entirely from the mean-spirited delusions we have built up with our wrongful conduct from the beginningless past.

I think, perhaps I can ride a bike. Maybe.

Behind the cut, a full version of the Boddhisattva Vow by Torei Zendzi, translated/revised by Robert Aitken Roshi (and frequently chanted in many Zen centers and monasteries, especially in Rinzai style Zen):( Read more... )

Today I participated in micro-finance (http://www.kiva.org/), reached out to some friends, and signed up for veggie CSA 2010 (http://www.dea-dia.com/). There goes my holiday shopping! Pretty much everyone on my list is getting Mexico for Christmas anyway ;) I still have the warm coat I bought last year on Black Friday, probably the first and last time I'll participate in that phenomenon. This Friday I have no plans except to hang with my family.

I said yesterday that gratitude is bigger than the individual items I'm grateful for. I believe in living in gratitude all the time. Today I do feel it more than usual. Even though the dog broke into Todd's bag last night and ate the Oreos. :)

----
How I use Kiva: I always pick the loans that are closest to 100% funded, so that I know it'll be distributed right away. We started with a $100 gift certificate from our wedding, and I sent $25 to each of 4 different loans. Those have all been paid back over time, so I was able to use the credits to participate in other loans through the year. It's fun to go 'shopping' and see what projects people are doing to improve their lives through micro-finance. The downside for some 'investors' is that there is no monetary interest, so it's not a growing investment financially, but I love to see how many lives $100 can touch over time. In just over a year, I think we've participated in 8 loans. The recipients do pay interest to the institutions that distribute/manage and make the loans - and yes, those interest rates are much higher than what we pay here. However they're getting help where it may not otherwise be possible. This is my kind of 'green.'

Here's the email I just got from Kiva after using one of our credits today:

"Dear Todd Michi,

This is an update on your loan to Amilo Ramadan in South Sudan.

Thanks to you and 7 other Kiva Lenders, the 200.00 loan requested by
Amilo Ramadan in South Sudan has been 100% funded. The loan will be used
for the purpose of: To buy dried fish to sell.. Over the months of this
loan, Kiva’s Field Partner in South Sudan, BRAC South Sudan, will be
collecting repayments from this entrepreneur and posting progress
updates on the Kiva website.

You can view the loan profile here:

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=155509"

I look at this woman and think, she is my age but has 5 kids, and looks 20 years older.
She probably feels older too, ya know, living in Sudan and all. Yet we share the entrepreneurial spirit.

I got a warning when I signed up for this one that due to currency fluctuations I may lose up to 20% of my total, even though she repays the whole loan. I accept the possibility of losing $5.00 (that wasn't my money to begin with) - in order to protect her from feeling the effects of devaluation. Call it 'noblesse oblige' if you want, it feels really good to have gifts to share.

Yesterday felt long, especially since I also had EfM class. Work was
boring, my boss wasn't here, and it's a short week so things are all
weird. We're having a big lunch tomorrow also, steak and potatoes.
mm!! I think I will be eating for the next several days, so I need to
be careful and not overeat, lol.

Attendance was abysmal last night. My year is the only year that shows
up consistently!! Me and the three other second-years were the only
ones there last night until one of our fourth years came about 15
minutes late. We almost didn't have quorum. Actually, I think we're
getting rid of that so we can have class. We haven't missed any
classes because of lack of quorum, but it's starting to look like we
might. Yikes... we had a good theological reflection though, and I
enjoyed talking about our lesson extra-in-depth.

I have been wondering what I should make for the church's Thanksgiving
dinner. I think I am going to try these pecan tartelettes that I found
a recipe for online. but, I want to add chocolate chips. >_> because
i'm all about doing my own thing. booyah!

( Pecan Tartelettes )

The girl I got this from also has a recipe for crust, but I think I am
just going to buy a pre-made crust. (semi-homemade represent!) Um, and
also a 2in diameter cookie cutter. Looks like I will be driving all
over town tonite trying to find one, lol. I am thinking about doing a
trial run for work tomorrow. or maybe I will just make A TON and bring
some to work, some to church, some to my family's thanksgiving and
some to chris' family's thanksgiving. If I made them tonight would
they still be good on saturday? if I kept them refrigerated? I really
only want to mess up the kitchen once, lol. Especially since we will
have a few days off---I don't want to spend it all cooking and
cleaning. I am free tonight though so I can get it done.

On the agenda for today:

001 Kroger @ lunch with Liz to shop for baking necessities
002 Finish laundry, fold and put away
003 Tidy up/clean/vacuum living room
004 Clean kitchen, dishes
005 Make pecan tartelettes
006 Clean kitchen, dishes (I know it's already on here, but I will
have to clean the kitchen so I can mess it up, and then clean it up
again after. doh!)

here's to another busy day in the box business!!

Yesterday my special holiday-scented Man's Face Stuff Moustache Wax came in the mail so I'm wearing it today. My moustache is in the holiday spirit! It smells like cloves and cinnamon.

Tonight is going to be busy. I have some cleaning to do and a lot of comics to draw to cover my ass until the weekend. I'm leaving tomorrow night to go do family stuff and disappearing FOREVER. My brother is going to be visiting so I will be doing stuff with him too.

So that's all good, but I kind of have the blues today. I am drinking cream soda though and tomorrow is the last day of the work week. So rah rah rah.

Night falls,
watching cars come and go,
random thoughts pass through me.

If there are any books that encourage the banning of other books from a high school library, I would give serious thought to banning those.

It's inappropriate to teach teenagers that people should be afraid of printed words on a page.

This year I am going to celebrate the day after Thanksgiving as Tramplesgiving where we stay in and make and eat pancakes to honor those who have fallen in the Black Friday stampedes.

to echo Aunty
Em @ Newshounds:

"And then he hints about what he’s announcing tomorrow, what he’s
calling “The Plan.” And, it’s a hundred year plan.

Did I just hear him right? A One Hundred Year Plan?!?!?! Even the
Communists only came up with 5 Year Plans."

Srsly
y'all. This is sad. And frightening. I think I am more
afraid of him than I am of Al Quaida... hm.

then again I probably read too much newshounds. LOL! but it's one of
the unrestricted websites @ work... :(

65redroses
Eva is a vibrant young woman with Cystic Fibrosis who survived a double lung transplant. Read about her difficult recovery and personal triumphs over pain, isolation, and fear. Back in school, Eva now works part-time in a children's center and enjoys running and cross-country skiing. A documentary on her story, entitled 65 Red Roses, won three awards at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

meet_other_moms
A warm and welcoming "Add me" community for moms of all ages and backgrounds from around the world. If you're a mom, just post a little about yourself and start connecting with other mothers based on similar hobbies, musical interests, book/TV/movie preferences, or taste in humor! A great way for busy moms to socialize online.

kitchenfaq
Want to share a fabulous home recipe for coconut bread? Suddenly run out of confectioner's sugar with company on the way and need to find out a quick in-house substitute? Searching for tips on what to charge for a custom-designed wedding cake? Whether you're a professional chef, an aspiring culinary wizard, or a happy home-baker, you'll get delicious guidance from fellow and sister foodies.