The little things that become important as you die. In no particular order.
Phone calls
Texts
Pictures of kids and grandkids
Mashed potatoes
Fried potatoes
French fries
Bacon bits
Roasted Chickens from Harris Teeters
Ice water
Straightened blankets and pillows
Facebook friends
Amazon Prime
Kindle
IPhone
Tylenol
Decent reruns on TV at 3AM
Electric fans
People with patience
Animal videos
Coughing without difficulty
New oxygen tubing
Somebody closing the shades when the sun is in your eyes
Donuts
GrubHub
Baby Wipes
There is so much to be grateful for if you just take time to think about it.
I wish I had thought about it sooner - just because we take things for granted doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take time to appreciate them.
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Friday, October 25, 2013
Sarah Palin - Bully or Hypocrite?
One would think that anyone who lives with a disability would have some small bit of understanding, some acceptance, some compassion for others who have disabilities.
Normally, one would be correct.
Unfortunately, "normal" does not fit Sarah Palin, or "Real-America's Everywoman" as she seems to likes to think of herself.
Sarah, "Real American" that she is, recently decided to take it upon herself to spread the word that Carmel Allison, the attractive, intelligent, 20-weeks pregnant, diabetic woman whose blood sugar apparently dipped dangerously low while she was on the stage behind President Obama the other day, is a fake, a fraud, a conspiracy charlatan sent by, well, I'm not sure she's supposed to have been sent by. Sarah doesn't really go into detail there other than it has to do with Obamacare. (But then again, what doesn't?)
This is the same Sarah Palin who, when her son was born with Down's Syndrome, announced to the world that they "knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed."
Type 1, Juvenile Diabetes,the type of diabetes that Karmel Allison has lived with since the age of nine is also a "special challenge" to parent and child alike. It is an extra-special special challenge to pregnant women.
In other words, we're all God's children and Karmel and her parents were and are every bit as special and as "blessed" as Sarah and her son are special and blessed. One illness does not trump another illness, one disease does not beat out another disease, one family is not more special than another family. One person's special need is not more special than another person's special need.
Yet Sarah Palin, the same woman who "called out" Bill Maher and President Obama for their mockery of “innocent, beautiful people" like her special needs child somehow feels free to mock other parents and other children with their own special, albeit different, needs.
What's up with that, Sarah?
I mean, we already know you can't spell "McKinley" - does this mean you can't spell "hypocrite" either?
Try "bully," it's easier - and it fits you equally well.
Normally, one would be correct.
Unfortunately, "normal" does not fit Sarah Palin, or "Real-America's Everywoman" as she seems to likes to think of herself.
Sarah, "Real American" that she is, recently decided to take it upon herself to spread the word that Carmel Allison, the attractive, intelligent, 20-weeks pregnant, diabetic woman whose blood sugar apparently dipped dangerously low while she was on the stage behind President Obama the other day, is a fake, a fraud, a conspiracy charlatan sent by, well, I'm not sure she's supposed to have been sent by. Sarah doesn't really go into detail there other than it has to do with Obamacare. (But then again, what doesn't?)
This is the same Sarah Palin who, when her son was born with Down's Syndrome, announced to the world that they "knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed."
Type 1, Juvenile Diabetes,the type of diabetes that Karmel Allison has lived with since the age of nine is also a "special challenge" to parent and child alike. It is an extra-special special challenge to pregnant women.
In other words, we're all God's children and Karmel and her parents were and are every bit as special and as "blessed" as Sarah and her son are special and blessed. One illness does not trump another illness, one disease does not beat out another disease, one family is not more special than another family. One person's special need is not more special than another person's special need.
Yet Sarah Palin, the same woman who "called out" Bill Maher and President Obama for their mockery of “innocent, beautiful people" like her special needs child somehow feels free to mock other parents and other children with their own special, albeit different, needs.
What's up with that, Sarah?
I mean, we already know you can't spell "McKinley" - does this mean you can't spell "hypocrite" either?
Try "bully," it's easier - and it fits you equally well.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Ken Cuccinelli for Senate!! Oops, No, Wait, That's Not Right - That's FAR RIGHT!
The Conservative Campaign Committee, formerly known as The Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama, a Tea Party political committee, has, once again, jumped the shark.
In their eagerness to do their part to win lose yet another election for Republicans, they recently sent out this fund-raising email suggesting that Hillary Clinton, who's not currently running for anything, can be defeated by voting for Ken Cuccinelli of Virginia for senator.
Help Us Defeat Hillary Clinton's Political Ambitions
Today Hillary Clinton is in Virginia campaigning for Democrat Senate candidate Terry McAuliffe and opposing our Conservative Republican candidate, Ken Cuccinelli.
In fact today's campaign appearance by Hillary Clinton is part of 12 separate events Bill and Hillary Clinton have engaged in to defeat Cuccinelli and propel the Democrat's McAuliffe to the Senate.
I think it's a pretty safe prediction that they'll have even less luck defeating Terry McAuliffe for senate than they did defeating Obama for president.
In fact, I guarantee you that Ken Cuccinelli is not going to be elected to the US Senate in November.
Of course, neither is Terry - but at least he'll be the next governor of Virginia.
In their eagerness to do their part to
Help Us Defeat Hillary Clinton's Political Ambitions
Today Hillary Clinton is in Virginia campaigning for Democrat Senate candidate Terry McAuliffe and opposing our Conservative Republican candidate, Ken Cuccinelli.
In fact today's campaign appearance by Hillary Clinton is part of 12 separate events Bill and Hillary Clinton have engaged in to defeat Cuccinelli and propel the Democrat's McAuliffe to the Senate.
I think it's a pretty safe prediction that they'll have even less luck defeating Terry McAuliffe for senate than they did defeating Obama for president.
In fact, I guarantee you that Ken Cuccinelli is not going to be elected to the US Senate in November.
Of course, neither is Terry - but at least he'll be the next governor of Virginia.
Why Is Ted "The Canadian" Cruz Telling Me That I'm Not American?
As my hypothetical teenage daughter of the 90s might say, "Ohmygawd!! Really? Like did he just say I'm not an American?"
It amazes me that a man,a Canadian citizen, no less, born in Canada to a Cuban father and an American mother, is running around Texas saying things like,"After two months in Washington, it's great to be back in America.""
Um, Ted, I've got news for you. The Beltway IS America. Every bit as much America as is Texas. And we don't even want to secede.
How dare he imply, even jokingly, that I, born and raised in the very heartland of America, who's never even stepped one foot off of American soil, who is the grandchild of 4 Americans, the child of 2 Americans, the wife of an American, the mother of 3 Americans and the grandmother of 3 Americans, is, somehow, not an American due to my current place of residence - which, as everyone but Cruz seems to know, is in America.
I'll tell you what, Ted. You don't like Washington DC? You don't think Americans live in Washington DC? You want to surround your duel-citizenship self with Texacanians, that's fine.
Don't come back.
No one really wants you here, anyhow.
It amazes me that a man,a Canadian citizen, no less, born in Canada to a Cuban father and an American mother, is running around Texas saying things like,"After two months in Washington, it's great to be back in America.""
Um, Ted, I've got news for you. The Beltway IS America. Every bit as much America as is Texas. And we don't even want to secede.
How dare he imply, even jokingly, that I, born and raised in the very heartland of America, who's never even stepped one foot off of American soil, who is the grandchild of 4 Americans, the child of 2 Americans, the wife of an American, the mother of 3 Americans and the grandmother of 3 Americans, is, somehow, not an American due to my current place of residence - which, as everyone but Cruz seems to know, is in America.
I'll tell you what, Ted. You don't like Washington DC? You don't think Americans live in Washington DC? You want to surround your duel-citizenship self with Texacanians, that's fine.
Don't come back.
No one really wants you here, anyhow.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
The Story of Thanksgivukkah by Dan Halberstein
If you don't know the story of Thanksgivukkah...
When the Jews, led by the Maccabees, beat the army of the AngloGrecoSyrian king Antiochus then fled to the New World to escape persecution, they boarded the Meh-flower, and landed at Mishpocha Rock, around which they formed Mishpocha Shmeer, or "the whole Mishpocha area."
Squanto, a Patuxent Indian, taught the Jews to catch eels and grow corn after the first harsh winter the Jews spent in what they named "Jew England," so they survived through the next growing season. Some Jews ate the eels, even though they were clearly not kosher, invoking the talmudic principle pikuach nefesh, or "to save a life [you can break a commandment.]" In return, they showed the Patuxents how to make gefilte eel. This caused some discussion of a massacre against the Jews of Mishpocha Shmeer, but the Indians finally decided they were probably trying to make a joke, not kill them.
The Maccabees, on the other hand, ate only the corn, and continually berated the eel-eaters.
After the first harvest, the Maccabees declared a feast, which was attended by all of Mishpocha Shmeer. Then on the morning of the feast, the Lord sent unto them a single scrawny turkey, which they killed kosher, and sent their womenfolk to prepare, along with the things they had on hand -- the corn the Indians taught them about, some potatoes, and horseradish.
Meanwhile, after some discussion of portion sizes, the Maccabees dispatched the assimilationist eel-eaters. Then they started noshing on nuts and berries, and watched Wampanoag against Patuxent at 12:30.
When the turkey was done, it was served up with horseradish, corn, and latkes with sour cream. Miraculously, no matter how much turkey they ate, there was still more on the carcass. They ate their main feast meal, then got up and made a bagel and turkey sandwich, then in the morning they had turkey omelettes, and so on and so on, for eight days.
By that time, of course, the turkey was crawling with all manner of bacteria, and the Jews of Mishpocha Shmeer took ill with food poisoning. Then the Pilgrims landed, renamed Mishpocha Rock, Plymouth Rock, renamed Mishpocha Shmeer, Plymouth Plantation, but kept up the traditional Thanksgivvukah feast, which they renamed Thanksgiving. Latkes and sour cream gave way to yams and cranberry sauce, yarmulkes gave way to hats with ornamental buckles, but everything else stayed pretty similar.
Today, to mark Thanksgivvukah, Jews arrange eight turkey drumsticks in a Menurkey, douse them in alcohol, and roast them. Children play with a dreidel, or a gambling top, inscribed with the Hebrew letters Nun, Gimel, Heh, and Shin, for the Hebrew phrase "Nes Gadol Hayah Sham" - a great miracle happened here. An alternate interpretation is the Yiddish, "Nosh Groesse, Hanoe hobn, Shlof," or "Eat a lot, enjoy, take a nap." And we remember our victory over the AngloGrecoSyrian king Antiochus and the Maccabees' victory over the eel-eaters.
So pretty much the standard script for our holidays: They tried to kill us, we won, let's eat.
When the Jews, led by the Maccabees, beat the army of the AngloGrecoSyrian king Antiochus then fled to the New World to escape persecution, they boarded the Meh-flower, and landed at Mishpocha Rock, around which they formed Mishpocha Shmeer, or "the whole Mishpocha area."
Squanto, a Patuxent Indian, taught the Jews to catch eels and grow corn after the first harsh winter the Jews spent in what they named "Jew England," so they survived through the next growing season. Some Jews ate the eels, even though they were clearly not kosher, invoking the talmudic principle pikuach nefesh, or "to save a life [you can break a commandment.]" In return, they showed the Patuxents how to make gefilte eel. This caused some discussion of a massacre against the Jews of Mishpocha Shmeer, but the Indians finally decided they were probably trying to make a joke, not kill them.
The Maccabees, on the other hand, ate only the corn, and continually berated the eel-eaters.
After the first harvest, the Maccabees declared a feast, which was attended by all of Mishpocha Shmeer. Then on the morning of the feast, the Lord sent unto them a single scrawny turkey, which they killed kosher, and sent their womenfolk to prepare, along with the things they had on hand -- the corn the Indians taught them about, some potatoes, and horseradish.
Meanwhile, after some discussion of portion sizes, the Maccabees dispatched the assimilationist eel-eaters. Then they started noshing on nuts and berries, and watched Wampanoag against Patuxent at 12:30.
When the turkey was done, it was served up with horseradish, corn, and latkes with sour cream. Miraculously, no matter how much turkey they ate, there was still more on the carcass. They ate their main feast meal, then got up and made a bagel and turkey sandwich, then in the morning they had turkey omelettes, and so on and so on, for eight days.
By that time, of course, the turkey was crawling with all manner of bacteria, and the Jews of Mishpocha Shmeer took ill with food poisoning. Then the Pilgrims landed, renamed Mishpocha Rock, Plymouth Rock, renamed Mishpocha Shmeer, Plymouth Plantation, but kept up the traditional Thanksgivvukah feast, which they renamed Thanksgiving. Latkes and sour cream gave way to yams and cranberry sauce, yarmulkes gave way to hats with ornamental buckles, but everything else stayed pretty similar.
Today, to mark Thanksgivvukah, Jews arrange eight turkey drumsticks in a Menurkey, douse them in alcohol, and roast them. Children play with a dreidel, or a gambling top, inscribed with the Hebrew letters Nun, Gimel, Heh, and Shin, for the Hebrew phrase "Nes Gadol Hayah Sham" - a great miracle happened here. An alternate interpretation is the Yiddish, "Nosh Groesse, Hanoe hobn, Shlof," or "Eat a lot, enjoy, take a nap." And we remember our victory over the AngloGrecoSyrian king Antiochus and the Maccabees' victory over the eel-eaters.
So pretty much the standard script for our holidays: They tried to kill us, we won, let's eat.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Veterans Call Out Sarah Palin, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee
The Veterans March on the Monuments yesterday was hijacked by a group of politicians complaining about a group of politicians hijacking the veterans.
Fortunately, this convoluted ploy at capitalizing on the back of our soldiers did not go unnoticed by those being capitalized upon.
Official Stance of the Million Vet March on the Memorials:
The political agenda put forth by a local organizer in Washington DC yesterday was not in alignment with our message. We feel disheartened that some would seek to hijack the narrative for political gain. The core principle was and remains about all Americans honoring Veterans in a peaceful and apolitical manner. Our love for and our dedication to remains with Veterans, regardless of party affiliation or political leanings.
Sarah, Ted, Mike, that means you. The organizers were too polite to call you out by name.
I have no such constraints. I'll even include your pictures.
Oh, and congratulations on being too stupid to understand how horrible it looks to the world to have marched with a confederate flag into a mall which contains memorials to Martin Luther King, soldiers who fought for freedom for all and to a White House which was built largely by slaves.
You guys are truly a classless act.
Fortunately, this convoluted ploy at capitalizing on the back of our soldiers did not go unnoticed by those being capitalized upon.
Official Stance of the Million Vet March on the Memorials:
The political agenda put forth by a local organizer in Washington DC yesterday was not in alignment with our message. We feel disheartened that some would seek to hijack the narrative for political gain. The core principle was and remains about all Americans honoring Veterans in a peaceful and apolitical manner. Our love for and our dedication to remains with Veterans, regardless of party affiliation or political leanings.
Sarah, Ted, Mike, that means you. The organizers were too polite to call you out by name.
I have no such constraints. I'll even include your pictures.
Oh, and congratulations on being too stupid to understand how horrible it looks to the world to have marched with a confederate flag into a mall which contains memorials to Martin Luther King, soldiers who fought for freedom for all and to a White House which was built largely by slaves.
You guys are truly a classless act.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Health Insurance Companies Resent Not Being Able to do "Business As Usual" and Pull Out of Market
FOXNews is running a story with the headline 9 Companies Exit Nebraska's Health Insurance Market.
Sounds pretty scary, doesn't it?
The article states that "some of them cite Obamacare as the reason for their departure," and furthermore, Fox says it's "likely [they] don't think it's worth it to make the changes necessary to comply with the federal health care law."
That nasty old Obamacare!! How dare they tell insurance companies how to do business? What right do they have? This is America - people have the right to buy cheap bare-bones plans, that don't offer an array of benefits and that deny people coverage just because they're sick or old.
I mean, that's the kind they've always sold, right?
And now, thanks to Obama, they can no longer sell them to the gullible desperate public.
Fox says so - right in their article. "Insurance companies selling individual plans can no longer sell cheaper, bare-bones plans, must offer an array of benefits and cannot deny people coverage because they're sick or old."
Apparently that was enough to convince Aetna, American Family Mutual Insurance, Humana, Independence American Insurance Company, Reserve National Insurance Company, Standard Security Life Insurance Company of New York, Companion Life Insurance and United Security Life and Health Insurance to stop selling individual (and, in some cases, group) policies in Nebraska.
The state insurance commissioner says Obamacare is the major driving factor in the companies' pullout, largely because of the administrative and policy changes they'd have to make.
So, in other words, take away their cheap, bare-bones plans, force them to offer an array of benefits that include the things people actually use like covered well visits, immunizations, birth control, breast exams, prostate exams and pap smears and remove their ability to refuse insurance to anyone who's ever had the misfortune of being sick or getting old and what have they got left?
Not enough to pay their CEOs their accustomed salary, perhaps?
For example:
The CEO of Aetna Inc., Mark T. Bertolini, had a 2012 pay package that more than tripled — nearly quadrupled — his compensation the year before, according to documents filed Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Bertolini was compensated a total of $36.36 million last year, not including $11.1 million in stock awards which vest later and are based on the company's performance.
Stock awards and other compensation given to Humana Inc.’s new president, Bruce D. Broussard, totaled $10.5 million in 2011 — more than the compensation for longtime CEO and company chairman Michael B. McCallister.
Sounds pretty scary, doesn't it?
The article states that "some of them cite Obamacare as the reason for their departure," and furthermore, Fox says it's "likely [they] don't think it's worth it to make the changes necessary to comply with the federal health care law."
That nasty old Obamacare!! How dare they tell insurance companies how to do business? What right do they have? This is America - people have the right to buy cheap bare-bones plans, that don't offer an array of benefits and that deny people coverage just because they're sick or old.
I mean, that's the kind they've always sold, right?
And now, thanks to Obama, they can no longer sell them to the gullible desperate public.
Fox says so - right in their article. "Insurance companies selling individual plans can no longer sell cheaper, bare-bones plans, must offer an array of benefits and cannot deny people coverage because they're sick or old."
Apparently that was enough to convince Aetna, American Family Mutual Insurance, Humana, Independence American Insurance Company, Reserve National Insurance Company, Standard Security Life Insurance Company of New York, Companion Life Insurance and United Security Life and Health Insurance to stop selling individual (and, in some cases, group) policies in Nebraska.
The state insurance commissioner says Obamacare is the major driving factor in the companies' pullout, largely because of the administrative and policy changes they'd have to make.
So, in other words, take away their cheap, bare-bones plans, force them to offer an array of benefits that include the things people actually use like covered well visits, immunizations, birth control, breast exams, prostate exams and pap smears and remove their ability to refuse insurance to anyone who's ever had the misfortune of being sick or getting old and what have they got left?
Not enough to pay their CEOs their accustomed salary, perhaps?
For example:
The CEO of Aetna Inc., Mark T. Bertolini, had a 2012 pay package that more than tripled — nearly quadrupled — his compensation the year before, according to documents filed Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Bertolini was compensated a total of $36.36 million last year, not including $11.1 million in stock awards which vest later and are based on the company's performance.
Stock awards and other compensation given to Humana Inc.’s new president, Bruce D. Broussard, totaled $10.5 million in 2011 — more than the compensation for longtime CEO and company chairman Michael B. McCallister.
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