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The bus trip from hell?

You had a strange past few days that weren’t conducive to blogging and then you sing praises to your bidet. Are we to assume the two are connected? No don’t answer that.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 26/August/2009 @ 11:41 am

Cash for Codgers and Life’s a Bitch

She is a favorite of mine too. I was sold on her after the movie “Oh Brother Where Art Thou” (which is a classic in my book) but fell in love all over again with Raising Sand.

As for bluegrass, I was exposed as a child (dad) but kind of left it behind. However, after my oldest gave me an ipod I decided I needed some Lester Flat and Earl Scruggs and that led me on a bluegrass quest to round out my collection. In fact on a raining day like today good for nothing but cooking I think I will put on some bluegrass while I make lasagna. Doggy play date today and I’m the designated cook. Still don’t know what I will make for dessert. Buttermilk pie? Banana Pudding?

» Posted By Fortuneate On 29/August/2009 @ 8:40 pm

She is a favorite of mine too. I was sold on her after the movie “Oh Brother Where Art Thou” (which is a classic in my book) but fell in love all over again with Raising Sand.

As for bluegrass, I was exposed as a child (dad) but kind of left it behind. However, after my oldest gave me an ipod I decided I needed some Lester Flat and Earl Scruggs and that led me on a bluegrass quest to round out my collection. In fact on a raining day like today good for nothing but cooking I think I will put on some bluegrass while I make lasagna. Doggy play date today and I’m the deswignated cook. Still don’t know what I will make for dessert. Buttermilk pie? Banana Pudding?

» Posted By Fortuneate On 29/August/2009 @ 8:40 pm

Fortunate was taken so aol suggested an alternate spelling or perhaps it was my husband. He chose the “handle” for me. As to the meaning I guess he thought I was a lucky girl being married to him.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 29/August/2009 @ 12:03 am

Fortuneate a guy? Maybe its because I know my own gender, but really don’t you think Fortuneate as a handle would be a bit gay for a guy? Hell, its too gay for a gay guy.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 26/August/2009 @ 11:34 am

You aren’t being ignored Dennis. Your posts did not show up until sometime this evening. In any case I am afraid I would not know where to start with responding. The topic is health care but you are not talking about health care.

To the best of my knowledge Glenn Beck and Pat Cadell are TV personalities who make a living out of making provocative statements attributed to other people. I guess that way they can’t be held liable. They make their living slinging mud and getting the fringe riled up. Michele Malkin also makes her living stirring up the fringe base. She has proven to be successful at what she does and you are right she is cute. I just can’t get excited over these folks or their message.

And for the record, I’m a she.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 26/August/2009 @ 11:31 am

Well Happy Birthday Duke!

Frank I see your point. Those that benefit from these programs might not. Medicaid is rife with abuse and I see no evidence that Medicare has controlled health care costs for seniors. I had hoped that revamping health care in this country would include at a minimum Medicaid. It doesn’t make sense to have multiple programs.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 26/August/2009 @ 4:04 am

Duke you jumped the gun. His birthday is the 27th but since you brought it up…Happy Birthday John!

Frank I am forced to google much of what you write about and that usually takes me to blogs not news articles. I confess I am not much a newspaper reader and I rarely watch TV news. I skim the The Express and do the sudoku puzzle. I have been following the health care debate/debacle and the happenings in Afghanistan but that is about it.

Like any sane American I am alarmed at the bleeding of the public coffers. Bush made the deficit irrelevant and Obama seems to have happily embraced this notion. I know that sometimes you have to spend a little to make a little and that this is a period of readjustment for our nation. However, it is scary and there is no guarantees that this course of action to jump start the economy and provide future protections (health care reform is part of the future protections as much for business as it is for people)is going to work.

But to focus for a minute, our topic was the end of life counseling. Start with the premise that our returning injured vets and our elderly are of sound mind and average intelligence, to assume anything less would be patronizing. Those questions above would not convince me that I am worthless or that I should end my life. They do provide a framework of the types of things one should consider. I don’t understand why you think the elderly would be more susceptible or negatively influenced than you or I, unless of course you equate getting older with getting dumber, and if you do, shame on you.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 25/August/2009 @ 11:38 pm

I haven’t seen the book but I found the following excerpt on another blog and this lists those parts that he found objectionable. I don’t get it. These are the types of things a person should consider and communicate if they want to maintain control of their life. What is wrong with that?

Page 24 – “cant shake the blues” “I rely on a kidney dialysis machine to keep me alive.” “If you checked “not worth living,” does this mean that you would rather die than be kept alive?”
Page 25 – “I believe that controlling pain is very important, even if the pain medications might hasten my death.”
Page 26 – Imagine that you are very sick and have been told that you will very likely die soon. I would want all possible treatments, even though my doctors don’t think they will help me, because I would hope for a miracle cure that would prolong my life.
Page 40 – “These forms are very specific about your wishes. You can attach them to your advance directive to provide a detailed picture of your preferences.”
Page 41 – It asks you to rate how you view your current health and quality of life.
Page 46 – Asks you to rate your life just in case you cannot communicate your feelings.
Page 50 –
5. Your Vision Of A Good Death-If you hope to die in a certain way whether it’s at home, in your sleep, with family by your side, or free of pain-tell people.
Page 51 –
Make a special appointment To make sure you’ve got their attention, make a special appointment with your health are provider to talk about this. Health care providers are people too-some are uncomfortable talking about end-of-life issues, or have other things on their mind. You don’t want to be in a hurry when you have this conversation. If your health care provider wants to just file your advance directive in your chart without discussing it, don’t let that happen! Make sure they know why you feel the way you do. This will make it easier for them to understand and follow your wishes.

Page 53 – Here is the FAQ section:
Q: Is withdrawing treatment considered suicide?
A: Most people would say “no.” Withdrawing or stopping a treatment after it has been started, is one way that patients can exercise their right to refuse treatment especially if the treatment does not seem to be achieving the desired goal. However, some religions believe otherwise. You may want to check with your religious advisor to be sure.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 24/August/2009 @ 11:14 am

“Our Father, who art in Washington…”

Not a chance and I say that with dismay. Besides I am not an old codger. Entry into that grouping is dictated by more than a date on a birth certificate. And based on the above criteria I wouldn’t fetch any special bonuses. Lucky for me all of my exs would. LOL!

» Posted By Fortuneate On 22/August/2009 @ 8:38 pm

Democrats, realizing the success of the President’s “Cash For Clunkers”
rebate program, have revamped a major portion of their National Health Care
Plan.

President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Sen. Reed are expected to make this
major announcement at a joint news conference later this week. I have
obtained an advanced copy of the proposal which is named….

“CASH FOR CODGERS” and it works like this… Couples wishing to access
health care funds in order to pay for the delivery of a child will be
required to turn in one old person. The amount the government grants them
will be fixed according to a sliding scale. Older and more prescription
dependent codgers will garner the highest amounts.

Special “Bonuses” will be paid for those submitting codgers in targeted
groups, such as smokers, alcohol drinkers, persons 10 pounds over their
government prescribed weight, and any member of the Republican Party.

Smaller bonuses will be given for codgers who consume beef, soda, fried
foods, potato chips, lattes, whole milk, dairy products, bacon, Brussel
sprouts, or Girl Scout Cookies.

All codgers will be rendered totally useless via toxic injection. This will insure that they are not secretly resold or their body parts harvested to keep other codgers in repair. You heard it hear first…

Lucky for you John, Renee has reached her limit and Kevin doesn’t seem to be in any hurry.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 21/August/2009 @ 9:43 pm

So do you object to him calling on religious leaders or the fact that he says it is an ethical and moral obligation?

He has already called on corporate leaders and members of the health care community. Why should he be restricted from calling on any particular segment of society? Democrats have a history of calling on religious leaders to promote social programs. What incenses most people is when the religious right tries to legislate their particular brand of religion but this is not advocating a particular religious ideology or an issue based on one’s religious beliefs.

You don’t have to be religious to believe that it is unethical for an insuarance company to refuse to provide insurance to a person with a preexisting condition. A person should not have to die because they lose their job and their health insurance in the middle of an illness for which they cannot now obtain insurance coverage. The terms “moral” and “ethical” are not the sole provenace of the religious.

And why is it scarey that he quoted from a Rosh Hoshanah prayer?

» Posted By Fortuneate On 21/August/2009 @ 12:32 pm

Obviously, this does not apply to me…

Frank I appreciate your defending my right to my own opinions. Unfortunately, I am a person and I am sincere (most of the time) so I guess I must be a POS. Unless of course there is more to the label by virtue of the grouping of the words than is conveyed singularly by each word individually, in which case I reserve the right to recant the previous statement.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 21/August/2009 @ 12:47 pm

Tidbits

I am a bit confused with your review of Short Cuts. Was it good because you got to see Julianne Moore naked or did it have some other redeeming value? I saw the Time Traveler’s Wife. Thank goodness I had three napkins. I think having read the book preprogrammed me for tears or maybe it just part of being menopausal. Now I am waiting for them to make a movie out of the book The Gargoyle. In my mind I have already cast Zoey Deschanel. Gosh I loved that book.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 18/August/2009 @ 11:19 am

Comments on comments

Okay Frank you got me on that one. I am not about to share my comments with my folks or my in-laws. You misconstrued them and I am not about to take the chance that they would. I love them.

I will tell you that both of my parents have living wills and yes I encouraged them to do this after my Dad had esophageal cancer and then melanoma back to back–one year apart! Both of my parents have made their funeral arrangements. I am so glad my parents have done this. There will be no misunderstandings between my siblings and I over burial versus cremation or where to place thier remains; no arguments over what measures to take. They have taken responsiblity for it and made all the hard decisions for us. Even my best friend has executed a living will and I am considering doing so myself. Knowing your options is not a bad thing and it is so much better for your children.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 18/August/2009 @ 11:11 am

Yeah they were our funds until collected by the government at which point it became government funds.

Townhall meetings are a great way for our representatives to let us know what is being proposed. We need to know so we can let them know how we want them to represent us. Not that they always listen.

However, these meetings are being disrupted and deliberately so. I myself was called by the local Republican Party to join in a grass roots effort to denounce the obamacare plan. (I get these calls because their used to be a registered Republican in my household and because I have a friend who is a Republican representative at the local level for whom I have attended several fund raisers.) I have a friend in Denver who called me recently on his way to a meeting and it turned out it was orchestrated in the same manner. Most, actually I think all, of my friends are Republicans. Normally we avoid politics but they are quite fired up on this subject and feel compelled to discuss it with me not as a Republican but as really concerned Americans.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 18/August/2009 @ 12:20 am

Frank if I said the elderly should not receive health care that would be immoral. I did not say that. The government has a program that helps the elderly with health care which many folks deride as socialism. I see it as a safety net to ensure basic health care although even I agree it needs to over hauled before it taxes the younger generations to death.

You are right my dad is a military retiree and I am Catholic but I am not sure what that has to do with my statement. My point was health care choices should be ours to make but the government should have a say it how it spends government funds. If the government is going to establish a national health care program then they have to figure out what they will pay for. You do realize insurance plans are already set up this way don’t you?

» Posted By Fortuneate On 17/August/2009 @ 9:40 am

Looks like I picked a bad time to be getting older…

VJ that was brilliant!

John I agree the government should not make health care choices. Health care choices should be reserved to the individual. By health care choices I mean life style, the decision as to when to seek medical attention and from whom, and the procedures we want employed-tests, exams, medicine, etc. (How is the attempt to stop smoking coming along by the way?)

No the government should not have the right to make health care choices for the individual but they do have a right to determine how government money is spent. You make the choice and they will tell you what they are willing to fund. If it isn’t enough to meet your choices well then you need to cough up the rest either out of pocket or by obtaining your own insurance.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 15/August/2009 @ 9:13 pm

The elderly should come last when dispensing resources from the government. Wow that was hard to write and I pray my parents and in-laws don’t see it. Its like there is this big taboo on stating the truth on this subject. The only legitimate reason for the government to be involved in health care is because of its vested interest. The vested interest is the people and their contribution to the country and the strain health care is placing on the economy. But let’s focus on the people.

Shannon Love predicts it will come down to choosing between old people and children and implies children will be picked first. I am not so sure about that. It certainly use to be true in society-all societies– that more resources were invested in the children as they are seen the future. Then came AARP and suddenly the pendulum swung.

John you take umbrage with Obama’s statement that his grandmother’s hip replacement surgery was not a wise use of medical resources. It probably wasn’t. When you have only a finite amount of resources you should be expending them in a manner to get the most bang for your buck. For the government this means ensuring a healthy work force. The elderly are generally not part of the work force.

Me, I take umbrage in using scare tactics and interuptions to prevent honest debate and dissemination of information on the issue of health care. Ooooh seniors beware! Yeah go after them, scare them off with BS. They have a powerful lobby group–kids don’t. They get to vote. Kids don’t.

How about instead of drumming up phoney dire consequences we just stick to the facts. The health care plan will…….. wait there isn’t actually a health care plan yet. There are several versions being written. Obama is talking up his guidelines to Congress -his promises of what he wants the helat care plan to deliver but there isn’t really anthing concrete yet. You want to complain about Obamacare? You don’t have to look any further than that. He wants us to buy into a plan that hasn’t got any substance yet. He wants it voted on and passed without national debate or the chance for us to see what it really entails.

Congress is not made up of the smartest people in the land but those with enough money (usualy family) and/or influence to get elected. Where are the subject matter experts?

Then there is the writing of the bill itself. Imagine if you will what the bill of Rights or the Constitution would look like if drafted in this day and age. These guys do not know how to write a brief concise document. They want to fudge the language in some instances thinking in advance how it can be twisted to support a particular agenda. They want it to be so long sometimes so they can tuck little bombshells in without others noticing. They make the process to complicated and take too long. I do not trust Congress to draft a bill to address and correct the health care problems faced by our country. So you want reasons to rant and rave about Obama care? I just gave you some good ones that do not require you to speculate.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 14/August/2009 @ 9:56 pm

The Dixie Chicks did not trash their country. They said they were embarassed Bush came from their home state of Texas. And they made a lot of money and won a grammy for that “whine.”

» Posted By Fortuneate On 14/August/2009 @ 9:23 pm

What she said

??? Obama did release his birth certificate.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 14/August/2009 @ 9:20 pm

Here we go again!

Whenever the union filed a grievance they had this tendency to throw in everything but the kitchen sink as if their other unresolved (or not resolved in their favor) issues had some bearing on the issue at hand. That is what you did and are continuing to do. Kick up enough dirt so that it clouds the real issue-health care reform, more specifically the presence of disruptive protesters at the townhall meetings.

Stating the obvious is not racist or sexist. What is good for a woman may not be what is good for a man. What is good for a hispanic, asian or black male may not be what is good for a white man. And what is good for a middle age man may not be what is good for a young person or an elder. This is particularly true when it comes to health care. We have to balance the needs and that means hearing from all of them. I am not sure where you got your 80% disapproval. I googled it and came up with 51%. Yeah that is still a majority. Like I said I am not endorsing the health care plan but I do think something has to be done. Its not unlike “no decision is the worst decision”.

Currently there are multiple versions of the plan being touted. However none of them represent socialist medicine. The government will subsidize for some but most of us will still have to pay. You may well think that subsidies of any sort amounts to socialism. This country has been subsidizing big business like the oil and agriculture industries for years so what is the difference? Is it the fact that these subsidies are aimed at individual people and not an individual business?

» Posted By Fortuneate On 12/August/2009 @ 7:39 am

Those were the days

I don’t think pointing out that the protesters appear to be primarily white middle age males and then stating that they do not represent the country speaks of anger. It is more like stating the obvious. Women make up more of the population than men. Old people of both sexes and young people of both sexes outnumber middle age white men, now add in middle age nonwhite men. Our country is made up of more than middle age white men.

I’m sorry but I am just not connecting the dots on the CCX thing. I know Al Gore is invested in that group. I am not sure why that is suppose to be a bad thing. People tend to invest in things for which they have a passion and he certainly has a passion for climate control and all things green. Its called putting your money where your mouth is and I have never heard of anyone calling that a bad thing before.

As for Obama and Ayers, Obama did not claim he did not know Ayers. Rather he stated that he did not consult with Ayers on the development of his policy views and pointed out that he was 8 years old when Ayers was invovled in the Weathermen. Ayers was never convicted of anything and went on to clean up his act-professor and general do-gooder so it is hardly fair to label him as a domestic terrorist. Yeah his convictions have probably remained the same but he changed his approach. He is the model for rehabilitation and it was self rehabilitation. Ayers should be judged not by want he did as a 20 year old but on his accomplishments and they are impressive.

The Woods Foundation on which both served as directors is an anti-poverty group that works to remove barriers from people from entering the workforce and to provide problems for the poor in general. While there is no record -you can google it–of the alleged grant in question, let’s assume you are correct and that the WF did make a grant to the CCX and that as one of the twelve directors Obama voted for the grants. So what? The grant could have been for a jobs program for minorities or felons-two of the groups for whom the Woods Foundation does a lot of work. It doesn’t establish that the folks were in cahoots to make a bundle off of America. And more to the point what the heck does it have to do with Kevin’s comment about protestors at the townhall meetings to discuss health care reform?

» Posted By Fortuneate On 11/August/2009 @ 12:33 pm

It wasn’t intended as “funny” when the picture of Bush as the Joker appeared in a Vanity Fair blog-that’s right not the magazine but a blog. It was titled “No Joke”.

The problem with the Obama poster is that when it first appeared I am not sure anyone realized it was suppose to be the Joker. It just looked like a black man in white face make-up and given the history it looked like the artist was being deliberately racist.

America has come a long way as evidenced by the fact that we have a black president but not so far that racism has disappeared. The truth is with the election of a black president, some people who might have had a racist thought nonetheless had the sense to keep it to themselves, suddenly think its okay (or safe?) to give voice to those thoughts because the president belongs to the other political party.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 11/August/2009 @ 1:04 am

An American tradition

Frank you clearly spend a lot of time reading blogs. The Bush vampire thing was not a poster but a drawing in The Village Voice. How big of an audience do you really think that publication has? Someone had to go looking for that one and the Vanity Fair Joker Bush. The question is why go looking? Obiviously to counter the hoopla over the Obama poster. However the hoopla over the Obama poster was created because it looks racist and the creator has remained anonymous. His or her anonymity created a lack of context allowing the viewer to see and interpret at will. Perhaps that was the intent but more likely the creator just didn’t realize that folks wouldn’t make the Joker connection immediately.

No I don’t spend a lot of time reading blogs but did a quick google of things in your response. I was really confused by the Chicago Climate Exchange comment and after googling it -yep that are the only American company certified to handle all 6 gas exhanges-I am still confused as what this is suppose to prove.

What it doesn’t prove is that Kevin’s response was off base. I didn’t see anything in his response that sounded angry. You however come off sounding a bit like a conspiracy nut.

I’m not endorsing the new health care plan but I am intelligent enough to know that the issue of health care must be addressed. It is definitely adversely affecting the economy. If I took the time to attend one of the townhall meetings and the speaker was interupted over and over again as he tried to explain to me what the plan entails I would be pissed. Not because of my political affiliation but because its rude.

Its called the Obama health care plan but in reality he has left it to Congress to develop the plan. Republicans and Democrats are working on it. Let them explain it without interuption. Allow the people of America to engage in dialogue on the subject and make an informed decision. Whether these are people from the community or a group bussed in by the Republican party or a lobby group is really beside the point. Its more the fact that they are interfering with the exchange of information.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 11/August/2009 @ 1:36 am

Broken Flowers

Try the Painted Veil. I think you will find it would be great for one of your shared movie screening get-togethers.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 06/August/2009 @ 5:29 am

The Joker

See this is a prime example of what I meant when I said people who used to have the sense not to give voice to their ocassional racist thought now think they can. They are using politics as cover. Hey we all have those thoughts –usually when we think its comical but if we are honest the fact that we thought it at all or even that we thought it was funny just goes to show we have a ways to go.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 11/August/2009 @ 1:40 am

Let’s give him something to blog about…

Actually you can catch the guy who played Swearengen, Ian McShane on Kings a show on NBC. This guy has been around a while. He had a role in the miniseries Roots. I guess he is just better known in London.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 23/July/2009 @ 11:02 pm

Hanging out in the jungle

It looks beautiful!

» Posted By Fortuneate On 01/July/2009 @ 8:43 am

Oldboy

I have actually seen this movie. I thought it was one of the film choices for the DC international film fest but didn’t get the chance to see it so I got Michael to put it in his netflix selections. I thought it was pretty good.

» Posted By Fortuneate On 01/July/2009 @ 8:53 am

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