December 30, 2004
Help a lady out
Annette of More Than Words is moving to Atlanta. This shows that she has class and taste and some not insignificantly challenging mental issues. I joke - her writing shows the class and taste. The move to Atlanta only illustrates the mental thing.
Anywho, she's doing a photo scavenger hunt and needs items for the list. Pop on over and give her a few ideas of what she should shoot.
I should specify that "shoot" means with a camera. It won't default to gun use until she's been a Southerner for at least 12 months.
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December 22, 2004
The cure for Atlanta's traffic woes
Dusty has it all figured out.
At the four corners of most intersections there are usually light posts or some other weapon mounting system.
It's generic enough to work for just about any big city, too!
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December 21, 2004
Looking for some holiday cheer?
You won't find it at Protomonkey. You will find a
twisted little Christmas story by
Michele though, accompanied by a
Christmas thriller by yours truly.
And once your holiday jones has been sated you can take a well deserved breather with shank's first contribution. Don't breath too deeply though - his protaganist is about as sympathetic as mine.
Hmmm...that's a spooky Christmas story two years in a row for me. Does that make it a trend or a tradition?
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The link below "twisted little Christmas story" is bonked. Jes' sayin'.
Posted by: Tig at December 21, 2004 02:22 PM (JCxVY)
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All fixed. Thanks for the catch, Tig!
Posted by: Jim at December 21, 2004 02:25 PM (tyQ8y)
Posted by: Tig at December 21, 2004 03:41 PM (JCxVY)
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December 20, 2004
It's twins!
I've got a new blogson and blogdaughter. Go say hello to the dynamic duo at
Loggerheads. Or @Loggerheads? Whatever, just go say hi.
Actually, I don't know if I get to claim paternity. They were both established bloggers before. I just helped them get a modicum of anonymity for their newest venture. Harvey, can i get a ruling?
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Not enough information. I say that blog parentage is all about early encouragement and pushing people over the edge to action.
If they were undecided about the whole semi-anonymous blog venture, and you kept telling them "Great idea! Go for it!", then you can claim parentage.
If they were already decided on the idea and were just looking for some tech support, then not so much.
Although you're always free to adopt, if you're willing go give regular love, support, and encouragement.
Posted by: Harvey at December 21, 2004 10:06 AM (tJfh1)
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December 15, 2004
Must read
I don't say that very often. In fact I don't think I've ever said it, so you know I'm not crying wolf.
Almost three years ago we almost lost little Burger. It was a fantastic collision of poor diagnosis, entrenched medical establishment and insurance company hell. Lovely Wife has written up the whole story.
When you're done over there you might want to read about the other medical calamity we went through. I wrote about that one last year.
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The great thing about you and the missus is you're both sharp enough to place the blame where it belongs--the insurance racket. (Not that I have any good things to say about the dumb bitch NP either, though.) When people take up the rallying cry for socialized medicine, they need to realize: This is what you get. This is just a tiny little wicked, evil preview of what you get.
Posted by: ilyka at December 15, 2004 05:01 PM (UNYDb)
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I'm glad the problem was finally handled. Having children myself, I can sympathize.
My blood boiled a bit reading it, however, because I am a surgeon and because so many broad statements were made about my profession and lack of care. Let me submit that physicians all start off being some of the most caring people this world has to offer...their experiences with patients tend to beat a lot of it out of them. I know I do my best for patients, and unless one has gone through the process of becoming a physician, one cannot possibly understand the level of CONSTANT commitment it takes. I am a doctor. I do not stop being a doctor when I come home. I get calls at all hours, on vacation, in church, or when I am sitting in the emergency room with my own daughter.
Patients are not patient. They want answers right away (as do I when one of my family is sick). Doctors lie awake at night and wonder if they did the right thing...and sometimes find out that we didn't...and we never, never, never forget that. When patients do well...when a life is saved...we don't often even get a thank you. The majority of the time it is complaint over the copay or the hospital bill (over which we have no control) or postoperative aches and pains, or scars.
Most doctors try to reflect about our behavior, decisions, and patient complaints. Most of us are very self critical, and take the patients' complaints to heart. And yet, there is a growing public feeling that we are a public utility like electricity or water that is a right to have and a luxury to pay for.
We spend 10 of the most productive years of our lives going deep into debt and earning nothing. When we start practice, it may be 5 years or more before we can even afford to buy a home. By then, most of us are in our mid-forties. So, we have twenty good years of work to pay our debt, raise our kids and try to save for retirement. It is a meager existence, even when you finally make $200k a year at age 50, paying 50% in taxes with nondeductible med school loans. You find yourself looking in the mirror and wondering why you get up at 4am every day and come home at 7-8pm. Then worrying that if our own health fades and we can't continue the rigorous schedule, we will face ruin.
It's for the patients...and we are steadily losing the good will between doctors and patients.
I read newspaper articles, see an occasional sit-com, TV commercial, or blog and it drives a dagger into my heart to see perpetuated this growing perception that all doctors are greedy and careless...but I don't see it in real life.
My colleagues work extremely hard and sacrifice much for their patients. And the majority are DAMN GOOD.
Lastly, on the issue of where the ins premiums go...spend ONE night in the intensive care unit and you have spent two or three YEARS worth of premium there. God forbid a family member (or two) is injured in an accident and is in the ICU for a month. I see it almost every single day. Ins co's pay for the VERY sick...routine care is mostly the patients' responsibility.
Don't get me wrong, my colleagues and I perform as much as 20% of our service without ever being compensated for it. I have my issues with ins co's, but the state and federal plans (that's right, medicare too) are truly LOUSY. Not many other businesses where you are legally required to render service for which you have huge financial liability, even if there is NO CHANCE you will be paid.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but you should always remember (especially with children) to just take them to the emergency department if you are concerned. Go to a big hospital if you have time to get there, they see a greater variety. Your child would have been admitted right then and there, gotten the needed workup, and (sometimes) get the surgery too during the same admission. Ins co's have less power when dealing with emergent care.
When you see a doctor, especially the younger ones who chose medicine already knowing it is going down the tubes, you should ask yourself: Why on Earth did this person go through all that knowing they would work so hard, rack their brain, live with unshakable guilt, get sued (all of us do), be under appreciated and eventually treated like a natural resource?
The answer (which I'm sure is different for many) is that 1) for many of us it's a true calling and we still enjoy helping people and 2) if we could have REALLY known what it was like, some of us would NOT have chosen it.
Personally, I had a great career for 7 years before I went into medical training. I knew much of what it was all about, but even knowing now the whole truth, I would probably still have done it. The only thing that would make me leave it now is if the government decides to try and run the whole affair. The good surgeons will leave...and in will come the public servants...and I am afraid the post your spouse wrote would seem trivial in comparison with the tragedies that would follow. Just ask a veteran how care is at the VA. I have trained at one and can assure you that the federal government is TERRIBLE at running healthcare.
Less with babies, but in places like Europe and Canada, if you are Bill Clinton's age and start having chest pain...you will die before you get your bipass surgery. The wait list for EMERGENT bipass in Canada approaches one year.
I may sound uncaring, but I am being blunt (which I often have to do). I am glad your Burger was finally diagnosed and treated successfully. I know that if one of my girls needed surgery and the copay was $150,000, I would somehow get the money first and worry about ins later. You can always sue ins co's for not paying. You can't (to my knowledge) sue God to bring someone back to life or reverse permanent disability. I am sure, though, there is a line of lawyers around the block who will give it a shot anyway--IF you have the money up front...
If your car broke down and you needed a $200 part for it to run, how long would you wait without transportation? Most people wouldn't wait a day, yet the same for life saving surgery is somehow absurd? You are not even scratching the surface of the cost of that surgery, which is many thousands (mostly hospital cost).
Ins co's make profits...it's what they do. They do this in two major ways...decrease what is covered for patients (mostly routine care and elective surgery) and pay less for what is covered (take it out of the doc and hospital). All of us (docs too) should keep cash aside for rainy days...that usually means problems with health. As a correlary, docs often don't accept insurance because they pay too little...it's the
American way.
When we devalue the service someone provides, we will eventually get a less valuable service.
Posted by: ceromancer at December 16, 2004 02:11 AM (JRveb)
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I kept pressing deliberatly the "surgeons admin".The surgeon himself we never had a chance to talk to about this.I know a family who went to him and did have a chance and he helped them for free.
About the car.....you have NO IDEA how many times we drive with a dangerous car because we had no money to fix it.And we never hesitated when it came to the surgery.THEY DID.We did NOT have the money and the only person who wanted to give it to us was my MIL.Where would we have gotten the money?Steal it?We didn't have credit nor credit cards.I know what the surgery cost,I still have the bill.200 may not sound much for someone who has it,but for someone who hasn't it is.
The situations about ICU or accidents are IF situations.Plus the fac that even WITH coverage most people STILL have to pay a lot on top.Medical bills can push a person into desperation.And believe me,I KNOW what I am talking about because we did haev so many that we had to file bankruptcy years ago.
I would love to keep cash on the side for rainy days.Its easier said then done and so far has never worked out for us.
People can make it look so easy,especially when they are on the better financial end.
You make it sound like we didn't care,EXACTLY like they did.Like we didn't do what we could to get the money.
What you are saying about Europe is untrue.I am from there and till the point I left there the medical cre was GREAT.Better and for sure as hell the docs cared more.
Posted by: LW at December 16, 2004 10:05 AM (GCA5m)
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Thinking...I also want to say this:
Saying thank you to a doc should come natural.However...for the amount of money he just received,I would imagine you better damn well do a good job!
And also:yes,docs are human beeings,too,and that reason in particular they (the ones that are acting nasty)have NO right to treat another person like a car or some other piece that just needs some "adjustment".
And what the hell does it matter where the money comes from?Goverment,a person,an insurance....what right does a doc have to messure the quality of service he gives to where the money comes from?
Is THAT what you swear when you take the oath?By God I hope not!
You make it sound like every person is out to sue you.Thats BS.There are morrons outthere that do that,but thats not ALL people and therefore a doc should not even look at every patient that way!
The typical additude of "its the American way" is also absolute crap.The only American way I have experienced so far is that people are too affraid to change something,God forbit you'd wake up in the morning and the country would look different.Everyone hates it but only few want to do something about it.In a country this large with this many people that is absolute terrible!
NOONE will die if things change for a change!
Posted by: LW at December 16, 2004 01:10 PM (GCA5m)
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Remote Commenting
Trey's comments are busted so I, the proverbial swinging monkey of commenters, shall fling the feces of my verbosity from afar.
Congratulations!
Trey finished with the scholastic requirements for his Masters of Business Administration. You may now call him a "suit" and tremble before him. Seriously though Trey, a big virtual high five from Snoozeland.
My deepest sympathies
Please pass my regards and condolences to The Good Doctor.
How fitting
I can't think of a more fitting name for a town that volunteers to subsidize inflated prices than "Dorking". In fact, wouldn't it be just nifty if this practice itself became known as "dorking"?
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December 13, 2004
Almost there...
Jen has almost reached the magical 100,000 visitor mark. In tru diabolical fashion she is
offering a bribe to the blogger who refers the magic visitor. In similar fashion (if you can't copy Jen, who can you copy?) I'll do the same. If you're the 100,000th visitor and you get there from my site I'll win the bear and you'll win your choice of either 5 Snooze Points or 1 month of free advertising at
Zero Intelligence*.
So what are you waiting for? Get on over there! Don't you understand that I could win a freakin' bear? I already got an award today; winning that bear would make this a banner day.
* Yes, I realize I just established a market value of $2 for a Snooze Point. Does this qualify as an IPO?
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The party's over
The
2004 Weblog Awards have closed. My site didn't win and none of the sites I endorsed won. I think you all can see what this means.
If you want to win in the 2005 Weblog Awards you damned well better not have me plugging your site. I will begin taking bribes to that effect. Just click the PayPal button in the sidebar and put the following in the memo section when you make payment: "2005 Weblog Awards bribe - For the love of God please don't plug my site."
Just like NPR, I offer various levels of contribution:
$5 - Snooze Button Dreams will not actively campaign for your site.
$10 - Snooze Button Dreams will not mention that we are voting for your site.
$25 - Snooze Button Dreams will not mention your site at all for the duration of the voting.
$50 - Snooze Button Dreams will eradicate any mention of your site, remove all links and trackbacks except for an active spin campaign where we will campaign against your site. We're pretty sure this will guarantee a victory for you.
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Of my own picks, only Michele won, and one of mine came in dead LAST. Having me endorse you is definitely the kiss of death.
Now if only I'd been clever like you and thought of a way to make that pay . . . .
Posted by: ilyka at December 13, 2004 04:48 PM (Nn4nd)
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Who are the people in your neighborhood?
The newest person in mine is Tiffany!
Blown Fuse has
been subborned moved into Munuviana.
And so we continue in our quest to take over the world, one blog at a time.
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yes, but wetwired will never move!
Posted by: pylorns at December 13, 2004 03:19 PM (FTYER)
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Feh. You're half-way a Munu already, Pylorns.
Posted by: Jim at December 13, 2004 03:26 PM (tyQ8y)
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...well, you could always comment-spam Pylorns thus rendered unable to check e-mail without 290 "Texas Hold em Poker" comments downloading.
Posted by: Tiffany at December 13, 2004 05:38 PM (R2wme)
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Won't work. He's
from Texas so he has immunity.
Posted by: Jim at December 13, 2004 05:58 PM (GCA5m)
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December 10, 2004
December 06, 2004
Happy Birthday!
My fourth child turned a year old today. Of course the babe was adopted months ago but I'm still mighty happy to see the little bugger his the first anniversary mark.
Go visit adopting daddy Gary Cruse and see what the Bestofme Symphony looks like on its first birthday.
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Congrats, you meme-daddy.
Posted by: Simon at December 06, 2004 09:10 PM (UKqGy)
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You just must be so very, very proud!
Posted by: Rachel Ann at December 07, 2004 01:17 AM (I9nMw)
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Congrats. What a nice thing to celebrate.
Elizabeth
In.Chicago
(In case you'd forgotten)
Posted by: Elizabeth at December 09, 2004 01:57 AM (n3948)
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Good clean fun
Ryan's post is hillarious but Joshua's comment on it takes humor
down up to new levels.
Nope, I'm not back. This post brought to you by the wonder that is Trickle.
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December 03, 2004
The well equipped brigadier profanes of tin-foil
Tis true! Tin-foil hats are passe. They're so...so...so 1998. The modernly festooned brigade member wears this delightful accessory,
cunningly crafted from layers of electrostatic insulating polymer shoved into a WWI Snoopy pilot's hat:
What better statement could there be to signify "I've got my shit together" than to have this ingenious contraption strapped to one's noggin? All of the mind protecting power of thin sheets of metal with none of the nasty crinkly noises. The future is now.
No longer shall they be known as the tin-foil hat brigade. Nay I say! From this point forward they shall be called the Velostat Visionaries!
That site does give us one gem of useful information. Specifically, never ever allow your children to attend Temple University. The Grand High Poobah of the Velostat Visionaries is a tenured professor there.
(Hat tip to Dopple-G)
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December 01, 2004
The weather outside is frightful, but the awards they're delightful
The turkey's gone and the fat man in red isn't here yet. That means it's time for Blogosphere Awards!
The king daddy of 'em all is the 2004 Weblog Awards, organized by Kevin at Wizbang. Nominations are complete and voting starts later today. I shall annoy y'all for votes later if I make the category cut.
New for this year are The Edublog Awards, focusing on weblogs of an educational bent.
Last but not least are the 2004 Asian Blog Awards. This year they're hosted by our very own Simon.
It's like a disease - we just can't stop voting.
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