I was thinking about one of the many perfect moments in my life. I am blessed, so there have been many!
When my son Pike was small, in kindergarten, I took him to a concert. It was a live performance by the Steve Miller Band. It was night at the zoo amphitheater. We were sitting on a blanket.
I call it a perfect moment because at some point in the performance, Pike got up and was dancing while singing the song (he had the greatest hits album memorized).
He was totally unselfconscious, totally in the moment, no cares, no worries. Only him and the music. Combined as one for a brief spectacular moment that I will never forget.
It was Perfect.
I was there to witness it.
I want to have more of these moments of perfection. Of equal importance, I want to recognize the moment as perfect.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Perfect moments
Brother
I was just thinking about my brother, Troy Gene Pennington.
He wrote me only one letter in his life, but one was enough.
You see, when I was in the middle east, during Desert Storm, I received his letter. I will never forget that moment.
My battalion was in a desolete area of sand and small gravel. There was constantina wire strung around the the individual gp mediums. Attempts had been made at foxholes, but ended up being shallow scraps into the hardpan.
I was walking back to the hooch. Troy's writing was so distinctive to me. He was left handed.
I stopped and opened it, there was a picnic style table near by that I sat down on. No one was moving about. It was cold. The wind was blowing lightly.
In his letter he wrote.
It is not fair that you are there and I am here. You have so much to live for, your wife and son.
If I could I would trade places with you.
I am going to die anyway, and you have so much to live for.
You see, Troy was HIV positive. He had AIDS.
But my brother would have traded his life for mine. Regardless of the circumstance, he would have done this thing for me.
As it happens, I eventually came home. In 1994, Troy died.
I misss my brother. I miss all that made him what he was and is to me.
Freedom
I am thinking back over this years football season. We supported our local Lindale High School, they are the Eagles.
Every Friday night, the lights come on at the stadium. There is always a moment of silence and prayer. Then the national anthem is played by the band as everyone turns towards the flag.
I can't help, at this moment, standing at attention. My chest puffs up in pride and I look intensely at the flag. I am not looking at the flag, but at what it represents. Everyone sings the anthem and as the last words roll out, I can't help but shout out
Freedom
It is what it is all about.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Umami
Umami is one of the five basic tastes sensed by specialized receptor cells present on the human
tongue.
Umami is a Japanese word meaning savory, a "deliciousness" factor deriving specifically from detection of the natural amino acid, glutamic acid, or glutamates common in meats, cheese, broth, stock, and other protein-heavy foods. The action of umami receptors explains why foods treated with monosodium glutamate (MSG) often taste "heartier".
Glutamate has a long history in cooking: it appears in Asian foods such as soy sauce and fish sauce, and in Italian food in parmesan cheese and anchovies. It also is directly available in monosodium glutamate (MSG).
from wikipedia
Unmami is known as the fifth flavor.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Professor Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University was thinking about the taste of food: "There is a taste which is common to asparagus, tomatoes, cheese and meat but which is not one of the four well-known tastes of sweet, sour, bitter and salty."
It was in 1907 that Professor Ikeda started his experiments to identify what the source of this distinctive taste was. He knew that it was present in the "broth" made from kombu (a type of seaweed) found in traditional Japanese cuisine. Starting with a tremendous quantity of kombu broth, he succeeded in extracting crystals of glutamic acid (or glutamate). Glutamate is an amino acid, and is a building block of protein. Professor Ikeda found that glutamate had a distinctive taste, different from sweet, sour, bitter and salty, and he named it "umami". 100 grams of dried kombu contain about 1 gram of glutamate. 
Professor Ikeda decided to make a seasoning using his newly-isolated glutamate. To be used as seasoning, glutamate had to have some of the same physical characteristics which are found, for example, in sugar and salt: it had to be easily soluble in water but neither absorb humidity nor solidify. Professor Ikeda found that monosodium glutamate had good storage properties and a strong umami or savoury taste. It turned out to be an ideal seasoning. Because monosodium glutamate has no smell or specific texture of its own, it can be used in many different dishes where it naturally enhances the original flavor of the food.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Paying for Groceries
Around 1966, my father came home to my mother and me, an infant. I was crying. My father asked my mother why I was crying. She said “We don’t have food to feed him”.
My father was a carpenter and in between jobs at the time.
He immediately went to the grocery store. He filled the basket with necessary items. He then found the manager of the store. He asked the manager to let him get home before he called the police. So I could eat.
The manager took him to the front and checked out his groceries. He asked my father to come back after he got the job. They would settle up then.
My father got the job. He went back to settle up with the manager. The manager asked him if he had the money. My father said “yes”, as he was getting it out to pay.
The manager stopped him saying “I don’t want your money, what I want is for you to help someone as I have helped you”.
A while back, my father told me this story. He said “Son, I have been paying for those groceries for a long time”.
I try to take his story and words to heart. I believe in paying it forward.
You never know when it may be you who is in need.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
What color is family?
White, black, other. Pick all that apply.
Race, it can be quite confusing. Ethnic sociologist believe there no longer are any pure races. It is speculated, that if enough time passes, that all races will be homogenized. The color?... a very light tan.
Sounds healthy to me! 
So what is a person to do if they are of mixed ancestry? Black father, white mother; oriental mother, black father; native american with mixed breed
If you live in a country, does that make you or label you. If your skin is light or dark, honey or olive, yellow or red, does it make a difference or change you????
Shelly Morningsong- dutch cheyenne
Rosario Dawson- puerto rican afro cuban irish native american
My children are white, black and native american. In the end, they are my children and I see family not labels or colors.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Olympic
CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS
THE OLYMPIC CREED
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Fearless
Dara Torres
Dara Torres made headlines last week at the Olympic swimming trials, and she's hot in Web search — especially with results like this photo of her in a swimsuit. But our fascination with Torres doesn't stop there.
At 41, Torres will make history in Beijing. She'll be the oldest female swimmer in the history of the Games and the first U.S. swimmer to compete in five Olympics. She's a mom of a 2-year-old girl and has come out of retirement several times over the course of her long career. Yet she always ends up back on the medal podium.
Popular searches for Torres turn up even more. We search for information on her record-breaking swim times— the first when she was 14 — and her battle with bulimia in college. Then there's her stint as a swimsuit model, her work as a motivational speaker and her devotion to resistance stretching, which helps keep her in amazing shape.
Torres has proven herself a keen competitor both in the pool and out. She once appeared on the game show "Pyramid." She also won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach … as a race car driver.
From msn a-list
http://a-list.msn.com/default.aspx?cp-searchtext=Dara%20Torres
This gives inspiration to me that mature humans can compete on a world class level!
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Road Trip: Savannah
Road Trip Savannah:
Wednesday- left Lindale, Texas at around 1830. Traveled I-20 to 330 miles to the outskirts of Jackson, Mississippi.
I'm the fat guy on the right.
This made for a long ride, but hey it is a road trip. We lost an hour when moving to Eastern time zone, but we made it by 1930 ET. We arrived at our destination the Whitaker Huntingdon Inn.
//http://www.savannahmenu.net/info_pages.php?pages_id=475&osCAdminID=ac8e32d5c7cab044d286f9c071706d35&osCAdminID=ac8e32d5c7cab044d286f9c071706d35 Of course I ate a dozen oysters. Djuana had a couple as well. As we walked on River street we couldn't help but notice a lot of people were carrying plastic cups full of a flavorful drink. We decided to partake ourselves.
The place was called Wet Willies. It is cash and carry. Like their website says, they support global cooling, with their extensive selection of frozen drinks. We had one each. They were tasty.
Friday- 4 JUL 08- Up early to get in line to get a reservation at Lady and Sons, Paula Deens Restaurant. We stopped in a quaint part of town to get coffee and a muffin.
The line to get on the list for supper.Finally getting on the list!
http://www.savannahtours.us/
Imagine my embarrassment. Oh well, we are moving now.
The tour was exciting because I felt the tour guide/driver was either inebriated or under the influence of drugs. Sometimes it is hard to discern with her heavy southern drawl. We nearly wrecked twice. She had her eleven year old son on board to keep track of the tour members.
We stopped at Polks produce. http://www.thefoodscoop.com/polks.html , I had a Bing cherry cider (delicious) and the proprietor carved off pieces of fresh succulent cantaloupe for us to eat. Mucho Deliciosioso!
Next up on the tour, the Paula Deen Store. 
Souvenirs and such.
Next stop, Bethesda boys home. http://www.bethesdahomeforboys.net/
Paula Deen supports this cause. She was married at the chapel on the grounds.
Chapel. Djuana inside chapel.
Next stop Bubba's, Paula Deen's brothers place.
We were served a buffet meal here. One thing to say CharGrilled Oysters Mucho Deliciouoso!
We were given one with the meal. I ordered another half dozen. I was stuffed.
Chargrilled Oysters
The ride back was uneventful. I convinced Djuana to left me take a nap. I needed it to digest. She wanted to go to Tybee island before our diner at Lady and Sons at 7:00pm. After a to short nap at the bed and no breakfast, we headed off. We used the gps to head us in the right direction.
One thing we didn't anticipate, until we heard it on a local radio station while driving, was how crowded it would be. All the locals as well as tourist go there for the fireworks later that night. We got caught in traffic going out to the island. Because we were pressed for time now, it was a drive by only. We didn't get out to check out the beach. Passing on the way out of town we stopped at a tourist shop to get some t-shirts for the kids.
By the time we made it back to the bed and no breakfast, it was a mad rush to clean up and dress for dinner.
I drove us down to the place (we had scouted that morning) and managed to find a close parking spot for the mini cooper. We were ushered right in. Up to the third floor and seated. We checked the nightly buffet on the way in. Djuana decided on the buffet. I ordered off the menu.
http://www.ladyandsons.com/index.php
We had the fried green tomatoes as the appetizer. We both enjoyed that. They brought a garlic biscuit and a ho-cake to the table. Both were wonderful, but I had one bite only (Uncle Bubba's was still weighing on me). I had
Steak and Pie $26.99
Beef Tenderloin and mushroom ragout surrounding our famous tomato pie.
It was wonderful. Djuana had
Southern Buffet $17.99
All you care to eat.
She chose fried chicken, greens, macaroni and cheese and short ribs. We had a piece of pecan pie to finish it out. Djuana, the foodie, was critical of each item, giving her take on it and weather or not she enjoyed it prepared the Paula Deen way or HER way better! She gave Paula high marks with the exception of the mac and cheese.
After dinner we drove back to the bed and no breakfast so Djuana could change shoes, as we were headed down to the river to watch fireworks at 9:30pm. Of course our parking spot was taken. Several thousands of people were doing the exact same thing as us! We did find a spot right beside Paula's restaurant.
Off we walked to river street to find a place to view the fireworks.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Dancing Matt
Matthew Harding spent the last 14 months going to 42 countries, and dancing with everyone!
Everyone has heros, Matt is one of mine. He does what others dream.
Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The Devils in the Details
Take one look at the picture below. The artist has perfectly captured the hands pressing into the flesh. This is only a small aspect of the whole sculpture.
The Rape of Proserpina by Gian Lorenzo BERNINI
Happy Juneteenth!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The French Unions are Striking, Welcome to our World
FRANCE - LABOUR
French unions march to defend 35-hour week
Tuesday 17 June 2008
The CGT and CFDT unions called on their members to march Tuesday against a government plan to revise the 35-hour work week and make it possible for companies to negotiate directly with employees on overtime and compensation.
This brought to mind an editorial article in a local paper titled "Americans Over worked?". My work is not governed by the traditional 40 hour workweek. I felt compelled to do some research and came up with the following response which was published in the same paper.
September 22: Americans Overworked?
In response to the Wednesday, Sept. 19, editorial, I disagree with the statement: "Portrait of Overworked American Not Accurate."
We all can agree the United States economy has had robust growth in recent years. The reason being Americans are working hard, harder and longer than our contemporary high-income countries, as well as many middle-and low-income countries.
A recent Harvard School of Public Health study of 168 of the world's nations found: 84 countries have laws that fix a maximum limit on the workweek; the United States does not; 163 of 168 countries guarantee paid leave for mothers in connection with childbirth, 45 countries offer such leave to fathers. The United States does not. Paid sick leave is guaranteed in 139 countries, not in the United States; 96 countries guarantee paid annual (vacation) leave, the United States does not; 37 countries guarantee parents paid time off when children are sick, the United States does not.
The International Labour Organization's ILO News, Sept. 6, 1999, reported Americans work the longest hours among industrialized countries. Lawrence Jeff Johnson, ILO labor economist, said, "Currently (1999) the U.S. worker works more hours than his or her counterpart in other industrialized countries, and he or she also leads the way in terms of productivity.
The United States had 1,966 annual number of hours worked in 1997. Given 52 weeks in the year, that is 37.8 hours per week. Japan was next with 1,889 hours annually, followed by Australia at 1866 hours. Canada worked 1,732.4 hours, Germany 1,559.5 hours, France 1,656 hours and United Kingdom 1,731. Other countries were even lower.
In October 2004, Common Ground, an independent Canadian publication, noted current workweeks lower than the United States 40-hour week. This would include France, 35 hours; Netherlands, 36 or 38 hours; Denmark, 37; Norway, 37.5; Belgium, 38; Portugal, 40 and Spain, 35. At that time the European Union Working Time Directive required a minimum of four weeks paid leave for all employees, with several EU countries having five weeks (25 working days) of vacation by law.
Europeans work less and relax more than Americans. Data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development show Americans work 25 percent more hours each year than Norwegians or Dutch. Average retirement age of European men is 60.5 and it is lower for European women. Our vacations are pathetically short by comparison. Among countries surveyed by Expedia.com, Americans receive the fewest vacation days on average per year, 14, compared to 24 in Great Britain, 26 in Germany, 30 in Spain and 36 in France.
Compared to our peers, Americans work longer hours per week and take less time off; have no guarantees as to how much time they may be required to work; no guarantee as to time off; no guarantee for sick time or time to care for sick children, not to mention no paid leave for childbirth, mother or father.
We have more leisure time, yet still we work more than our counterparts. So is the portrait accurate when an American is called overworked? I think yes.
Dean Pennington II
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Regarding previous post.
HPV Vaccine for Boys
HPV Vaccine for Boys? It Just Might Happen
The virus that causes cervical cancer also leads to throat cancer in males
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay Reporter
SATURDAY, June 14 (HealthDay News) -- More than half of all people will have a sexually transmitted disease or infection at some point in their life, the American Social Health Association reports.
One of the least noticeable, but potentially most life-threatening infections, is the human papillomavirus, or HPV.
Most HPV carriers are never diagnosed and never realize they carry the virus.
"It's never detected, they are never aware of it, and their immune system suppresses it before they ever know about it in the vast majority of cases," said Fred Wyand, spokesman for the American Social Health Association.
In this way, HPV is a silent killer. It's the leading cause of cervical cancer and has become the second-leading cause of cancer death for women around the globe.
Doctors have responded to the threat of HPV by fighting it in a way unusual among sexually transmitted diseases -- through a vaccine. The vaccine, Gardasil, is proven to prevent infection from four particularly dangerous strains of HPV in women.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that 11- and 12-year-old girls begin receiving the vaccine as part of school vaccination efforts. Now researchers are looking into whether the vaccine should be given to boys as well, both to prevent the transmission of HPV, and to prevent the rarer, but no less deadly, cancers that can occur in men from the virus.
"There is probably no reason to think it would not be effective in boys, and because HPV is passed back and forth, immunizing a large part of the population would limit transmission," said Dr. Jonathan L. Temte, associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
"However, we're still very early in the life span of this vaccine. It's been less than a year since a recommendation was issued. It is premature to discuss giving it to boys until there's proof of its efficacy," added Temte, who also serves as the American Academy of Family Practitioners' liaison to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Studies have shown HPV to kill an estimated 240,000 women worldwide each year through cervical cancer. And infection with HPV via oral sex also has been proven to be the leading cause of throat cancer, striking 11,000 American men and women each year.
Research continues to find that Gardasil is very effective in preventing HPV-caused cervical cancer. Two studies last year involving almost 18,000 girls and women found that Gardasil was nearly 100 percent effective in preventing precancerous cervical lesions from the four HPV strains targeted by the vaccine. Though there are at least 15 strains of genital HPV, Gardasil targets the four strains thought to cause 70 percent of cervical malignancies.
The studies also found that Gardasil is much more effective when given to girls or young women before they become sexually active.
Although men don't risk cervical cancer, they are half of the equation when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases. They also face increased risks for throat, genital and anal cancers from HPV infection.
The maker of Gardasil, Merck & Co., is accumulating data to consider whether boys should receive the inoculation as well.
"Nobody will be surprised if someday it is recommended for boys, but it's premature to make that call now," Wyand said. "The early returns I'm aware of with boys are positive. The vaccine appears to trigger an immune response similar to that of girls."
Gardasil isn't the only development on the vaccine front -- other vaccines for sexually transmitted diseases are being studied as well, Temte said. A second HPV vaccine, this one from GlaxoSmithKline, is currently awaiting FDA approval, he said.
And researchers are also looking at a vaccine that could prevent herpes simplex, the cause of genital herpes. "There are going to be a few years out before we see anything like that," Temte said.
Other news involving sexually transmitted disease is less encouraging.
The CDC estimates that approximately 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur each year, almost half of them among young people ages 15 to 24. Direct medical costs associated with STDs consume up to $14.7 billion annually in the United States.
And, in 2006, there were increases in chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis in the United States, according to the CDC.
More than 1.03 million cases of chlamydia were reported in 2006, up from 976,445 in 2005. Gonorrhea has increased for two years in a row, following a 74 percent decline in its reported rate for two decades. And the national syphilis rate increased 13.8 percent between 2005 and 2006, again reversing what had been years of decline.
Doctors are investigating what these increases mean, Wyand said.
"They aren't sure if those were true increases, or if people are being tested with better and more specific technologies," he said, noting that each of the STDs tend to be chronically underreported.
More information
To learn more about sexually transmitted diseases, visit the American Social Health Association.
content by:
SOURCES: Fred Wyand, spokesman for the American Social Health Association, Research Triangle Park, N.C.; Jonathan L. Temte, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and the American Academy of Family Practitioners' liaison to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta
Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
From msn health and fitness: http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100205485>1=31036
Friday, June 13, 2008
Friday the 13th, My lucky day
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
The Shack
Contact
Today, I spoke with one of my dearest friends. This is not so unusual unless you step back and take a look at what actually is happening.
First, he had written me an e-mail. In his e-mail he had attached part of a novel he is writing.
I read the attached document and laughed . It brought back such strong memories of another part of the world 17 years ago.
The amazing parts to consider: my friend lives in Boulder, Colorado, I live in Texas. We have not layed eyes on one another in over 14 years. Yet our relationship could not be stronger or more important. We last saw each other in Florida. The portion of the novel was written and transmitted by computer and internet. The words written were about a far place quite awhile back.
The internet and phone now allows contact, continued contact in a meaningful way, over great distances, over great lengths of time and with instant access to most everyday things.
I write this amazed and happy.
The power is available. The contact can be made and maintained. The only hold up is Time, Money and Desire. Missing any one of these three things will not allow this most amazing happening. Just something to consider.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley where have you gone?
One of the founders of rock and roll has passed on to the next adventure.
Who Do You Love?
Bo Diddley
I walked 47 miles of barbed wire,
Used a cobra snake for a neck tie.
Got a brand new house on the roadside,
Made out of rattlesnake hide.
I got a brand new chimney made on top,
Made out of human skulls.
Now come on darling let's take a little walk, tell me,
Who do you love,
Who do you love, Who do you love, Who do you love.
Arlene took me by the hand,
And said oooh eeeh daddy I understand.
Who do you love,
Who do you love, Who do you love, Who do you love.
The night was black and the night was blue,
And around the corner an ice wagon flew.
A bump was a hittin' lord and somebody screemed,
You should have heard just what I seen.
Who do you love, Who do you love, Who do you love, Who do you love.
Arleen took me by my hand, she said Ooo-ee Bo you know I understand
I got a tombstone hand and a graveyard mind,
I lived long enough and I ain't scared of dying.
Who do you love (4x's)
George Thorogood changed the lyrics to include this:
Yeah, I've got a tombstone hand in a graveyard mind, just twenty-two baby I don't mind dying
Snake skin shoes baby put them on your feet, got the goodtime music and the Bo Diddley beat
Who do you love?
Who do you love
Here is George's rendition of Bo's classic "Who do you Love?"
Monday, May 26, 2008
Memory of the Tribe
I think back today on the sacrafices of so many for our fine country. Even though it is not perfect, I believe whole heartedly that it is the greatest country in the world, These United States of America.
I think of a tribe that I am a member of, and I smile. Fore they too sacraficed for this great country.
I have heard that a measure, is to see what a person, a people, a country protect, by that measure you may see the value of that person, that people, that country.
I feel my tribe protected freedom, truth and justice.
My tribe is B company 2/227 AVN, 3rd Armor Division, 1990-1994. They served first in Ft. Hood, Texas. They next served at Fliegerhorst Army Airfield in Hanou, Germany. They quasi volunteered to go to Saudi Arabia to protect a border. They returned to Germany to regroup with 2/227 to deploy to Saudi Arabia. Travelling through Iraq then Kuwait. Returning back to Germany. Many stops were made along the way that included the Netherlands, France and Israel.
Following this was a diaspora to the winds of the world. The tribe remains, if only in my mind. Some glimmer of the tribe can be found here http://bravocompanybadboys.blogspot.com/.
The warriors of this tribe continue on. They now have more wisdom of age. They are now making new tribes, in new lands and in new ways. I hope each warrior remembers the tribe I call the Bad Boys of Bravo Company 2/227 Avn. I hope they remember their world tour.
I hope their memory of the tribe is as strong as mine.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Burma
16 Days of Glory
Bud Greenspan can tell a story. He is able to wrench my heart, make my throat constrict and cause tears to fall from my eyes.
He is the premiere athletic documentarian of our time.
His stories about athletes are more than who won which event. The stories he tells are of human achievements. These achievements are not always about the winners of the competition.
Citius, Altius, Fortius. Latin for Swifter, Higher, Stronger. The olympic motto.
When Bud Greenspan weaves his stories you find the swiftest may finish last, the highest not necessarily the greatest distance from earth and that the strongest may not lift the greatest weight.
His documentaries titled "16 days of Glory" show some of the finest moments in athletic and human history. The 16 are the number of days in each olympiad.
If you get the opportunity I highly recommend viewing his work.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Greenspan
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Tim Credeur
Tim Credeur is a man to watch in mixed martial arts competition.
He is an interesting individual who chooses to live by a warrior code. I believe he is smart enough to actually know what this entails.
Reading some of his biography I found he is a veteran and student with a degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is an expert at Jiu-Jitsu.
I have been watching him on the Spike program The Ultimate Fighter. This was taped this past spring. It will be interesting to see how he fairs.
Jack Lalanne
Jack Lalanne 1953
Jack just before his 90th birthday.
Jack is 93. I think he is an inspiration to all.
Ralph Paffenbarger, M.D., one of principal investigators in the Harvard Alumni Study, summarises the benefits of exercise with a neat formula: For each hour that a person exercises, he/she gets roughly two extra hours of life!
What is vigorous exercise? For the Harvard researchers, vigorous exercise was anything which was greater in intensity than about six 'METS' (e.g., greater than six times resting metabolic rate).
Several studies also show that increased muscle mass and strength leads to longevity and health with fewer complications of ageing.
One look at Jack and his active lifestyle can make a believer out of anyone.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Net Neutrality
This young lady, Tania Derveaux, supports net neutrality. So much so that she has a deal for all who support net neutrality with her. Her website is here
http://dontstayvirgin.movielol.org/tos.php
The title has a link to her friends who are making a plea to us the internet, to support freedom and neutrality.
What is net neutrality?
Why all the stir?
The new CEO of Virgin Media, Neil Berkett, has openly stated in an interview that they think net neutrality is “a load of bollocks” and claimed they're already doing deals to deliver some people’s content faster than others. They would then put websites and services that don't pay Virgin in the "slow lane", meaning those sites would load slowly and cause most users to give up using them, feeling forced to use whatever Virgin wants to push through their network.
I support net neurtality. I do not support those who would limit your freedom or mine on the internet.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Japanese Pay Less for More Health Care than Americans
Japanese Pay Less for More Health Care
by T.R. Reid
All Things Considered, April 14, 2008 ·
Japan produces cars, color TVs and computers, but it also produces the world's healthiest people. It has the longest healthy life expectancy on Earth and spends half as much on health care as the United States.
That long life expectancy is partly due to diet and lifestyle, but the country's universal health care system plays a key role, too.
Everyone in Japan is required to get a health insurance policy, either at work or through a community-based insurer. The government picks up the tab for those who are too poor.
It's a model of social insurance that is used in many wealthy countries. But it's definitely not "socialized medicine." Eighty percent of Japan's hospitals are privately owned — more than in the United States — and almost every doctor's office is a private business.
Health Care for Anyone at Anytime
Dr. Kono Hitoshi is a typical doctor. He runs a private, 19-bed hospital in the Tokyo neighborhood of Soshigaya.
"The best thing about the Japanese medical system is that all citizens are covered," Kono says. "Anyone, anywhere, anytime — and it's cheap."
Patients don't have to make appointments at his hospital, either.
The Japanese go to the doctor about three times as often as Americans. Because there are no gatekeepers, they can see any specialist they want.
Keeping Costs Low
Japanese patients also stay in the hospital much longer than Americans, on average. They love technology such as magnetic resonance imaging; they have nearly twice as many scans per capita as Americans do. A neck scan can cost $1,200 in the United States.
Professor Ikegami Naoki, Japan's top health economist, explains how Japan keeps MRIs affordable.
"Well, in 2002, the government says that the MRIs, we are paying too much. So in order to be within the total budget, we will cut them by 35 percent," Ikegami says.
This is how Japan keeps cost so low. The Japanese Health Ministry tightly controls the price of health care down to the smallest detail. Every two years, the health care industry and the health ministry negotiate a fixed price for every procedure and every drug.
That helps keep premiums to around $280 a month for the average Japanese family, a lot less than Americans pay. And Japan's employers pick up at least half of that. If you lose your job, you keep your health insurance.
An Accommodating Insurance System
Japanese insurers are a lot more accommodating than their American counterparts. For one thing, they can't deny a claim. And they have to cover everybody.
Even an applicant with heart disease can't be turned down, says Ikegami, the professor. "That is forbidden."
Nor do health care plans covering basic health care for workers and their families make a profit.
"Anything left over is carried over to the next year," Ikegami says. If the carryover was big, "then the premium rate would go down."
Perhaps Too Cheap?
So here's a country with the longest life expectancy, excellent health results, no waiting lists and rock-bottom costs. Is anyone complaining?
Well, the doctors are. Kono says he's getting paid peanuts for all his hard work.
If somebody comes in with a cut less than 6 square inches, Kono gets 450 yen, or about $4.30, to sew it up.
"It's extremely cheap," he says.
Kono is forced to look for other ways to make a yen. He has four vending machines in the waiting room. In a part of Tokyo with free street parking, he charges $4 an hour to park at his clinic.
The upside is that virtually no one in Japan goes broke because of medical expenses.
Personal bankruptcy due to medical expenses is unheard of in Japan, says Professor Saito Hidero, president of the Nagoya Central Hospital.
Hospitals Hit Hard
But while the patients may be healthy, the hospitals are in even worse financial shape than the doctors.
"I think our system is pretty good, pretty good, but no system is perfect," he says. "But 50 percent of hospitals are in financial deficit now."
So here's the weakness: While the United States probably spends too much on health care, Japan may be spending too little. In a country with $10-a-night hospital stays, prices just aren't high enough to balance the books.
Hospital prices too low? That's a problem a lot of countries would like.
NPR
Health 14 April 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
What I did today 12 Apr 08, 2 mile walk for babies
The March of Dimes has changed the name of its biggest event to March for Babies. It's a great change because it makes it very clear exactly who we are walking for -- all babies. It’s very exciting to be a part of the “first” March for Babies!
The March of Dimes mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Final Thoughts
I watched an interview with the good Dr. last night. They discussed many things, including the video of his last lecture (which can be found on this page http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch ).
He certainly brings some things into sharp focus. I think it is worth taking a look at.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Wendy Owen Sonoma Home
This article and pictures can be seen here:
http://digital.westerninteriors.com/OnlineViewer/viewer.aspx?id=17&pageId=127&refid=5821&s=pafyw555nj1iwwehzetii5ya
or here
http://www.westerninteriors.com/features/WendyOwen27/WendyOwen27.html
She has a style all her own that I very much enjoy.
Ben Bova's abbreviated Laws of Thermodynamics
1) You can't win.
2) You can't break even.
3) You can't get out of the game.
