View allAll Photos Tagged RealityCheck
For all the so-called "ObamaCare" haters out there. Here's your "social medicine."
Soldiers, Sailers, Airmen AND their family all receive THE HIGHEST quality of care, bar none. And, their families don't go broke hoping they have enough to pay for the procedures, or medicine. The physicians and nurses all get the same rate of pay according to their specialty, time in service and rank. What a socialist idea! (Those damn socialists!)
Research continues to demonstrate that if American healthcare had a One-Payer system, costs associated with health care provision would be drastically lower. Why?
No money would go for excessive CEO compensation, Wall Street shareholders, excessive overhead expense, advertising, medicines would come through one outlet and be able to be purchased in bulk, and the invariable paperwork shuffle for so many different insurance forms that each physicians' office has to fill out for each and every different insurance company - from the largest, to the smallest - would be eliminated.
No... none of that bullshit would exist.
And yet, provisions of the so-called "ObamaCare" - which is properly titled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and is actually Health Insurance Reform - do precisely those things!
The law:
• REQUIRES insurance companies to use 80% of premiums to provide care,
• FORBIDS health insurance companies from denying coverage to children born with conditions (which insurance companies call "pre-existing"),
• FORBIDS denial of coverage or payment for procedure based on a misspelled word or overlooked item,
• REQUIRES insurance companies to justify premium increases,
• FORBIDS them from dropping your coverage if you become sick,
• REQUIRES hospitals to be accountable for efficiency,
• REDUCES hospital-acquired infections,
• ELIMINATES & PUNISHES fraud, waste & abuse,
...and much, much more.
And yet, because certain Republican radical extremists whom have hijacked the party - the so-called TEA Party - have collectively sold a bill of goods lied to the American public about what the law does and what it contains, effectively, most Americans DO NOT KNOW that those provisions exist.
Just think about those things.
See Healthcare .gov
and
Whitehouse. gov/RealityCheck for details.
PostScript/Addendum:
For you, loved ones, relatives, friends, neighbors or other eligible individuals:
This VA Clinic is located in Guntersville, Marshall County, AL.
www.Birmingham.VA.gov/visitors/Guntersville_cboc.asp
Guntersville Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC)
101 Judy Smith Drive
Guntersville, AL 35976
Phone: (256) 582-4033
Fax: (256) 582-4215
Hours:
8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Monday - Friday
Reality Check on Amazon.com - number 1 for books about Brazil on Sep 23 2013
www.amazon.com/Reality-Check-through-foreigner-ebook/dp/B...
Reality Check, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1991, Collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Archives Center, Collection AC1146, Box 69, folder 18
There are times when a friend says something amazing is going to happen, like when puffer coats come back into fashion or the McRib comes back to McDonald's. This is the card to send.
The design uses the Cheerful Treat designer paper series and embellishments.
Created with My Digital Studio by Stampin’ Up. The artwork used to create the design is Copyright © 2009–2011 Stampin’ Up!. All rights reserved. The designs themselves are my own work and would probably be disowned by Stampin’ Up.
Day 4 of 365 Toy Project
Is it a hug? Or strangle? Reality can be blurry. Use your instinct to decide in order to survive.
Part of a conceptual photography project emulating the style of photographer Jan von Holleben.
Also a study into the strange sense of order that the mind can find in apparently random and chaotic systems. Studies in Chaos, Entropy, and Order.
Neurons communicate via chemical and electrical synapses, in a process known as synaptic transmission. This may result in unexpected reality checks
I have been watching thirtysomething lately... at first on DVD (the first season was recently — finally — released) and currently, via YouTube, where all the seasons have been recorded from Lifetime and uploaded.
At the time it was on the air, it was a hit with many critics for its fairly realistic look at relationships; it was also criticized for being a show about whiny yuppies who did nothing but complain about their lives. I liked the show then and I still like it. I think it was well written and clever with characters that I like and feel I can relate to. The complaints are not well-founded. I must admit, however, to not liking the poor technical representation of Melissa-as-photographer... the sounds of a motor drive when the camera she had in her hands didn't have one (which was often) and the semi-regular flashes coming from her flash units (whether on-camera or off). I have similar complaints about depictions of musicians in TV and film, but that's for another day, I suppose.
Perhaps the hardest thing about watching the series again is seeing all too clearly how closely the show mirrored my marriage at the time. The issues that two of the main married characters (Nancy and Elliot) had/have hit a bit too close to home sometimes. But while the show was on the air, I related more to the primary characters in the show, Michael and Hope... possibly because Hope so very closely resembled my wife. Our marriage at the time was going through turmoil but I felt it was basically good... that both of us wanted to stay together... that divorce was nowhere to be seen in our future. We had friends whose marriage was falling apart, so naturally, I pegged them as the Nancy and Elliot of our sphere. Ellyn, Hope's BFF, was a career-driven woman who was constantly in and out of relationships — we had a friend who seemed to be her twin.
Of course, at the time, I didn't see just how well the series reflected what was happening within our home. While I know now that I wasn't the only problem within the marriage, I didn't see then what a poor excuse for a husband/partner I really was.
My Mother Said There Was No Such Thing As Monsters
If I had to pick my favorite vocalist…. male and female…….
I would have to say Luther Vandross
And
Anita Baker……I really love this song………
I can remember stories…….. those things my mother said
She told me fairy tales…….. before I went to bed
She spoke of happy endings……. then tucked me in real tight
She turned my night light on………… and kissed my face good night
My mind would fill with visions……….. of perfect paradise
She told me everything……………. she said he'd be so nice
He'd ride up on his horse and…….. take me away one night
I'd be so happy with him………………. we'd ride clean out of sight
She Never said………… that we would………. curse, cry and scream and lie
She Never said………. that maybe……….. someday he'd say goodbye
The story ends as stories do
Reality steps into view
No longer living life in paradise ……. Of Fairy Tales
She spoke about happy endings……… of stories not like this
She said he'd slay all dragons………. defeat the evil prince
She said he'd come to save me………. swim through the stormy seas
I'd understand the story………. it- would- be- good- for- me
You never came to save me………. you let me stand alone
Out in the wilderness………All alone in the cold
My story ends…… as stories do
Reality steps into view
No longer living life in paradise ………….. No Fairy Tales
I don't look for pie up in the sky……….. baby
Need reality, now……. said I
Don't feel the need to be pacified…….. don't you try
Honey……. I know you lied
You never came to save me…….. you let me stand alone
Out in the wilderness........All alone in the cold
I found no magic potion……….. no horse with wings to fly
I found the poison apple……. my destiny to die
No royal kiss could save me……….. no magic spell to spin
My fantasy is over……… My Life Must Now Begin
My story ends as stories do
Reality steps into view
No Longer Living Life In Paradise ….. No Fairy Tales
Anita Baker………Fairy Tails
..is why there are suns and planets in the first place.
It is practically God."
(Mary Roach)
It may not be so obvious on a cell phone, but viewed larger, you get a sense of the depth of the valley we are descending into. No big deal in an SUV at 70 mph, but imagine the load something like this puts on an electrical vehicle - or a cyclist!
The ratings the electrical vehicle manufacturers of around 250 - 300 miles per charge are probably wildly exaggerated, in the same way mileage claims have always been. Where I live, where the highways are straight, flat, and mostly free-flowing, you may get close, but most of the country falls short in at least one of those criteria.
Stuck in Houston/Austin/San Antonio traffic, You'll get considerably less range - 10% maybe? Likewise, winding through the hills you'll get much less, whether that's West Texas or northern New York State.
That means we'll need to move our cities much closer together, or build hundreds of thousands of charging stations along every highway in America. Since moving cities seems to be problematic, let's chat about charging stations..
With gasoline engines, service stations evolved slowly and organically to meet increasing demand, and at the expense of their owners. If the government forces us to switch to EV's, we will have to fund them through our taxes, and I think people are going to be very shocked just how much that's going to cost us all - whether you get to use them or not.
The typical refueling stop for gasoline takes less than five minutes (not counting snacks..). That means you only need 20 or so pumps every 75 miles or so. An EV takes 8 hours to fully charge, so every EV will need to stop basically overnight at every third service station.
If all vehicles on the road are EV's, you will need 'service stations' with tens of thousands of charging ports - and massive increases in electrical generation to operate them. And guess where the power comes from to generate that electricity?
A stripper, she was one
of many who partook in the
annual Bikini Car Wash in
North Hollywood
on a warm Sunday
with Flo Rida and other
musical artists being blasted
through the sound system as the
girls soaped and scrubbed.
Day 147 of 365
SOOC
Some of the many books in our library. One of them was written by my husband.
Check him out at: www.charliebrooks.us
I learned something today: One of my students who seems to be incapable of keeping a thought to herself is, in fact, able to keep quiet for a whole hour while watching a performance of Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by the Dallas Children's Theatre Company
Random Fact: The best way to relax is to curl up in a hot bath with a good book to read. I end up spending a good hour or two in the tub every time I do this though.
The INSPIRATION ART FESTIVAL is all about inspiration and sharing it with the world! Who or what inspires YOU?!
A big THANK YOU to everyone who helped the INSPIRATION ART FESTIVAL come together...The show was a great success, showing the works of more than 100 public artists! The festival has since received offers to bring it to different settings around so, we're check out some options. If you didn't get a chance to see the show, or if you want to see it again, we've just uploaded a ton of stuff from the show with even more to follow! Check out the new updates on the festival website: www.inspirationartfestival.tk
Write to us at:
inspirecollective@gmail.com
this getting older
ain't for cowards
this getting older
Is a lot to go through
ain't a gonna need this body
much longer
ain't a gonna need this body
much more
well i can't see much
like i used to
and i can't run like the wind
i don't sleep more
than just a few hours
i can't remember where i've been .....
..... i put in a ten million hours
washed up and worn out for sure
well all my friends are
sick or dying
and i'm here all by myself
all i got left
is a head full of memories
and a thought of my upcoming death .....
..... well i know one thing
i'll die easy
and i know my life
is not in vain
because i loved
and i fought with many
and the people they loved me just the same .....
..... this getting older
well it ain't for cowards
this getting older
is a lot to go through.
~ mellencamp
(by way of my pal kerouac's ghost)
Confronting Homelessness
Video: www.lifeplusstyle.com/realitycheck.html
Anderson, Indiana (November 12, 2010) – This past Friday The Christian Center (TCC) and Alternatives, Inc. teamed together to host Reality Check, an overnight homelessness awareness and fundraising event in Anderson. Approximately 150 people spent the night, some sleeping in houses made from cardboard and using cardboard as their bed and blankets.
As of the last official count it was estimated that there were over 670,000 people who experience homelessness on any given day. In the Anderson, Indiana, Madison County area the best estimate of as to the number of homeless people is around 650 at any time according to Shayne Tacket, Operations Manager, at The Christian Center.
Homelessness has no boundaries when it comes to age, sex, or nationally. According to National Alliance to End Homelessness, measuring youth homelessness has been a major challenge; unfortunately, significant, seminal data on youth does not yet exist. While hard data isn’t available, the alliance estimates that young adults ages 18 to 25 make up 40 percent of street youth and about 33 percent of the total homeless youth population.
In today’s economy homelessness is becoming an even larger crisis for people of all ages and nationalities. Families that were once stable are finding themselves today with no place to go but to the streets. To make matters even worse is the fact that those trying to help, the shelters and soup kitchens, are being overwhelmed by the increased numbers of homeless and the decline in those who can help support their efforts everywhere.
To learn more about the homeless in our area and how to help visit The Christian Center at www.thechristiancenter.org/ or learn more about this crisis in the U.S. visit the National Alliance to End Homelessness, www.endhomelessness.org/.
The great and legendary
guitarist Albert Lee. This was
taken Saturday night, April 10, 2010
at the Talking Stick,
a coffee-house venue in
Venice, California -
where both of us were
performing in a tribute to
Emmylou Harris. Albert played
with Emmylou as well
as with so many greats-
Clapton (who called him
"the greatest guitarist in
the world"),
Jackson Browne, John Prine,
Joe Cocker, Bo Diddley
and so many others -
in addition to all his great
solo albums.
"When St Peter asks me to
chronicle my time
down here on earth," said
Emmylou, "I'll be able to
say
(with pride if that's allowed)
that for a while I played
rhythm guitar in a band
with Albert Lee."[
This S3 is nice enough - good rangefinder, speeds are OK - but it will put the sprocket hole right in the spacing line of the negative . When you cut them you have these small, sharp edges that binds when you put them in the neg-files. It is not an exclusive Nikon feature - a couple of M's and a couple of Bessa's have the same problem!!!!
I am currently using an Epson flatbed scanner - the negative holders and the "bulging" film fight each other - to the point that there is a slight unsharpness to the image where the film is curved enough to throw the focus.