Song in my Head: Pick up my guitar and play...Just like yesterday.....Then I'll get on my knees and pray...We don't get fooled again....The Who

In Season: icicles, waiting for the snow plow

The forecast here is for heavy snow followed by freezing rain. If I don't blog in the near future it is because the power is out. I've been through some rough winters in the gorge so I am prepared, although I am out of chocolate and almost out of dish soap.



Alter-Abled News

Well, January is the month of no health insurance or prescription coverage for the first time since I was a college student. Between employers providing health insurance or COBRA and more recently the Oregon Health Plan I have been able to consult with many different types of doctors regarding my unique, complex health situations. February my Medicare will kick in with a premium of $66 dollars a month. Prescription drugs will not be covered and that leaves me in a vulnerable position. Fortunately many pharmaceutical companies provide assistance for expensive drugs as this article explains:Thousands finding new ways to get their medications

Whether the new Medicare bill will be of assistance to me regarding prescription coverage is possible, but unlikely. As this editorial, in the NYT, explains:

State officials say the new Medicare drug benefit provides less help to low-income elderly people than some state pharmaceutical assistance programs, and they are searching for ways to make sure state residents are not worse off as a result of the federal law.

TalkLeft explains how pain trascends party lines here. A repub advocating medical marijuana? Oh! What about the children??


Food-safety fears go beyond mad cow

I worked in quality assurance in the food industry as I have a degree in environmental health and am familiar with how things in our environment affect the public's health. The editorial above illustrates the boondoggle of gov't. agencies that inspect our food. It truly is a bureauocratic mess deciphering which government agency regulates which food product. Studying environmental health made me a smarter consumer, revealed weaknesses allowed regarding the food and water of the public as a whole. I occasionally touch upon these subjects in my blog as I find the information fascinating and health promoting. Unfortunately, when discussing food and water safety, the conversation often turns to a fecal coliform, or unsanitary practices that can be stomach turning. I hope to blog more about these issues this next year (my resolution)and make all of you regular hand washers and sanitize your keyboards more frequently. And, no, I am not eating beef right now. (Update: an excellent piece of literature that describes the meat industry early in the century I recommend Sinclair Lewis' Jungle.)


Here's an interesting article about blogs in the military.

Blog, Blog, Blog: The Navy Tests Web Logging For Team Communications

Blogging, or keeping a weblog, is often seen as a solitary effort. An individual can type frequent updates onto their log, sharing opinions or ideas with anyone with Internet access. The future of blogging could look a lot different. The Office of Naval Research and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) are testing out the idea that weblogs can be powerful communication tools to bring together teams of people.(link)