Saturday

Saturday brought us clouds, a slight breeze, then an overcast sky, but so far no monsoon. I’m holding onto hope, as it did rain in West Flagstaff when I was over there earlier. It looks like it could rain at any moment, so here’s hoping.
A change in Health Care sounds like it is in trouble, yet again. As I have gotten older, I have started to add to my doctors—always had a primary care person, a dentist, and an ophthalmologist. Now I have a dermatologist, a urologist, an allergist. My insurance has been BCBS-Federal since I started working for the BIA. This year the plan raised its co-pay from $15 to $20 dollars. The deductible needed to get a break on tests also was raised a lot. The Feds have one of the best coverage programs anywhere in the US. One allergy medicine went from $12/month to $25/month…same medicine. And it’s a generic. One test the eye doctor runs used to cost me $8. This year it was $105—I haven’t met my annual deductable this year. Some people reading this are saying, “Damn, wish my medicines and visits were that cheap.” I understand that. I’m just saying that some medicines doubled in price and the office visit went up 25%. And I am one of the lucky ones.

All those people that don’t think we need a change in our health care system need to get a life. Each time I visit a doctor, I ask about their side of this debate. They don’t talk a lot about it, but do say they are doing more paperwork and are being paid less each year. Their rent goes up. Their employee wages go up. Their cost of running an office goes up. They say that the percentage of these rising costs are not met by any of the insurance companies. My premium goes up, my co-pay goes up, my deductable goes up, and the physicians don’t seem to be getting their fair share of this. The medical community is in a catch 22. If they don’t accept certain plans, they don’t have patients. If they accept the plans, they say they don’t get fair compensation. I want a medical care provider who is excited about fixing what is wrong with me. I don’t need a provider who feels the insurance compensation isn’t adequate for his work. I want a provider who is up on the latest information, not one who can’t afford to keep up to date. I have been in an emergency room twice in my life. Both times were fairly serious and led to hospitalization. Each time I saw many people waiting to be seen. I know too many people who use the Emergency Room as their Primary Care Physician. This country needs a health care system that fairly compensates providers, provides good care to the sick, gives compensation for regular screenings, and charges patients fairly and equally. I heard that one proposal was that every American paid 1% of their gross income. I’m paying more than that now. Maybe that would solve our health care system problems.

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Random Facts…
Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.

Chocolate syrup was used for blood in the famous 45 second shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's movie, Psycho, which actually took 7 days to shoot.

Chance that a U.S. Gulf War veteran still suffers from “Gulf War illness,” according to a federal panel: 1 in 4

Crazy Stuff In The News…
FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. - A Florida town fired its manager after learning the woman he married less than a year ago was an adult video actress, officials say. The town council of Fort Myers Beach voted unanimously to terminate the contract of manager Scott Janke, 55, and then held a meeting Wednesday night to explain the move to residents, the Fort Myers (Fla.) New-Press reports. “I’m very puzzled about the need for emergency action since our manager has been married since October,” said resident Pat Smith. “What I don’t also understand is why it matters so much what the spouse is doing so long as it’s legal.” Janke’s wife, who acts under the screen name Jazelle Moore, refers to herself as a “priestess of the erotic arts” on her Web site. The town council says her profession brings an inappropriate and negative image to a place that prides itself on being family-friendly.

July is…

…Air Conditioning Appreciation Month…Blueberries Month…Cell Phone Courtesy Month…Family Reunion Month…Herbal/Prescription Awareness Month…Nat’l Doghouse Repair Month…Nat’l Grilling, Nat’l Hot Dog, Nat’l Horseradish, and Nat’l Ice Cream Month…Smart Irrigation Month…Social Wellness Month…Tour de France Month…Women’s Motorcycle Month…
Week of July 23…
Lumberjack Week—for the real ones, not the NAU ones

July 26…
207 days so far this year…158 days remain in 2009
Parent’s Day
*India: Vijays Divas [end of the Kargil War]
*Cuba: Day of National Rebellion [1953]
*Liberia: Independence Day [1847] from US

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…
1796
George Catlin US, author/painter of American Indian scenes

1805
Constantine Brumidi artist (Myrtle Murdock)
1829
Auguste Beernaert Belgium (Nobel Peace Prize-1909)
1856
George Bernard Shaw Dublin Ire, dramatist (Pygmalion-Nobel 1925)
1875
Dr Carl Gustav Jung Switzerland, founded analytic psychology
1892
Pearl S Buck US, novelist (The Good Earth)
1894
Aldous Huxley England, author (Brave New World)

1902
Gracie Allen SF Calif, Mrs George Burns/comedian (Burns & Allen)

1928
Stanley Kubrick director
1943
Mick Jagger Rolling Stone
1956
Dorothy Hamill Olympic Hall of Famer
1959
Kevin Spacey Academy Award-winning actor

IT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY…

1775
Benjamin Franklin becomes 1st Postmaster General
1788
New York, the 11th state, entered the United States of America this day

1848
1st Woman's Rights Convention (Senecca Falls NY)
1887
1st Esperanto book published

1908
Federal Bureau of Investigation established
1947
Department of Defense established
1956
Egypt seizes Suez Canal

Category Puzzle

Each of the three words can be made into a common word or two word phrase

Example: play, beef, rocky
Answer: ground
1. Back, short, watch
2. Blue, cake, cottage
3. Stool, powder, ball
4. Big, soil, table
5. Made, cuff, left
6. Motion, poke, down
7. Light, hot, check
8. Light, hot, back
9. Wood, liquor, luck
10. Drop, off, stand
*Bonus: car, top, ice
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Answers
1. Stop
2. Cheese
3. Foot
4. Top
5. Hand
6. Slow
7. Stop
8. Flash
9. Hard
10. Kick
*Bonus: box
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