A zillion Tiger Woods jokes...

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

OK
So I couldn't resist.



Here y'all go!  Time to chuckle a bit...
And like it says,  "Tiger Woods is serious fodder for jokes"

So you see, it MUST be true! 


ROTFLMBO


*****
i will start with the 2 from my blast of a few days ago- Saved for posterity sake.

*****

Tiger Woods Holiday Poem

Twas the night of Thanksgiving and out of the house
Tiger Woods came a flyin', chased by his spouse.

She wielded a nine iron and wasn't too merry,
Cause a bimbo’s phone number was in his Blackberry.

He’d been cheatin' on Elin, and the story progressed.
Woman after woman stepped up and confessed.

He’d been cheatin’ with Holly, and Jaimee, and Cori,
With Joselyn, and Kalika. The world had the story.

From the top of the Tour to the basement of blues,
Tiger’s sad sordid tale was all over the news.

With hostesses, waitresses, he had lots of sex,
When not in their pants, he was sendin' them texts.

Despite all his cryin’ and beggin' and pleadin',
Tiger’s wife went investin' -- a new home in Sweden.

And I heard her exclaim from her white Escalade,
"If you’re gettin' laid then I’m gettin' paid."

She’s not pouting, in fact, she is of jolly good cheer,
Her prenup made Christmas come early this year.

*****

It is near the Christmas break of the school year. The students have turned in all their work and there is really nothing more to do. All the children are restless and the teacher decides to have an early dismissal.

Teacher: "Whoever answers the questions I ask, first and correctly can leave early today."

Little Johnny says to himself "Good, I want to get outta here. I'm smart and will answer the question."

Teacher: "Who said 'Four Score and Seven Years Ago'?"

Before Johnny can open his mouth, Susie says, "Abraham Lincoln."

Teacher: "That's right Susie, you can go home."

Johnny is mad that Susie answered the question first.

Teacher: "Who said 'I Have a Dream'?"

Before Johnny can open his mouth, Mary says, "Martin Luther King."

Teacher: "That's right Mary, you can go."

Johnny is even madder than before.

Teacher: "Who said 'Ask not, what your country can do for you'?"

Before Johnny can open his mouth, Nancy says, "John F. Kennedy."

Teacher: "That's right Nancy, you may also leave."

Johnny is boiling mad that he has not been able to answer to any of the questions.

When the teacher turns her back Johnny says, "I wish these b*tches would keep their mouths shut!"

The teacher turns around: "NOW WHO SAID THAT?"

Johnny: "TIGER WOODS. CAN I GO NOW?"


*****

And now these sassy ones too...

*****

Question: What is the difference between Santa Claus and Tiger Woods?
Answer: Santa Claus stops after three ho's!!

*****

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977968028

*****

Other golfers calling Tiger's wife..... they want to know what club it takes to beat him.

*****

    * The police asked Tiger's wife how many times she hit him. "I can't remember," Elin said, "just put me down for a 5."

    * Ping has a new set of irons called Elins. They're clubs you can beat Tiger with.

    * What does Tiger Woods have in common with a baby seal? They've both been clubbed by a Norwegian.
     (Of course, Elin is actually Swedish. But poetic license is allowed in jokes.)

There are jokes about the affair rumors:

    * Did you hear Tiger changed his name to Cheetah?

    * Tiger's other women aren't mistresses. They're provisionals.

    * Did you hear Nike's new motto? Just do me.

And jokes about Tiger's car crash started surfacing within minutes of the initial reports of the accident, including these:

    * Tiger crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree. He couldn't decide between a wood and an iron.

    * What's the difference between a car and a golf ball? Tiger can drive a golf ball 400 yards.

    * Tiger Woods is so rich that he owns lots of expensive cars. Now he has a hole-in-one.

    * Tiger has a new movie coming out. It's called Crouching Tiger, Hidden Hydrant.

Most of the above come from amateur quipsters - folks like you and me. But the professionals are having a field day with Tiger's troubles, too. For example:

    * Stephen Colbert: "Tiger always gives 110 percent. That is why he gave 100 percent to his wife and still had 10 percent left over for his alleged mistress."

    * Conan O'Brien: "One of the women who claims she slept with Tiger Woods says they never talked about golf while having sex. However, contractually Tiger was obligated to talk about Nike, Gatorade and American Express."

*****

Tiger's new movie is out: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Hydrant.

*****

What were Tiger Woods and his wife doing out at 2.30 in the morning?  They went clubbing.

*****
Tiger will be leaving golf for some time, so that he can put his affairs in order!


*****

Gillette razors has dropped Tiger Woods from their ad campaigns because they’re jealous! Apparently, Gillette is not the best a man can get!

*****

Whats the difference between Tiger Woods and Oscar the Grouch?
One puts his junk everywhere and the other is a Muppet on Sesame Street

*****

What’s Elin’s favorite household chore?
Ironing!

*****
What happens in Vegas stays in Rachel, Jaimee, and Kalika, etc etc etc...

*****

Tiger can keep his driver out of the sand, he just can’t keep it out of the bush.

*****

Eenie meenie minie mo,
They caught the Tiger with a Ho
If his wife says let ‘em go
It’s gonna eat up all his dough.

*****

Well, we all know what Tiger thinks of skanky hoes now…
They’re GR-R-R-R-R-R-R-REAT!!!


*****

Whats the difference between Y.E.Yang and Elin Nordigren?
It took Yang 14 clubs to beat Tiger.


*****
Tiger 100 Acre Woods sez:
“They’re bouncy, bouncy
Bouncy, bouncy…
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!
But the most wonderful thing
About hoochies iiiiiiiis…
I have more than one!!!”

*****

The Tiger (with apologies to William Blake)


Tiger, Tiger, bleeding bright
In the driveway of the night
What small Swedish hand or wrist
With a three-wood your head kissed?
What the anger, what the fire
Was so stoked by the Enquirer?
Twas there motive, twas there goal?
Did you play an extra hole?
Couldst thou not appease her
After bedding a skeezer?
Was your mom of no aid, though
Batt’ling that white tornado?
Were you chased from hearth and home
A golf club aimed at your dome?
Did the instinct come to pass
“My caddy will save my ass”?
When Elin did swing her club
Did you cower like a cub?
Did you know she’d hit a ton
And put you on the green in one?
When the impact made a thud
Wat’ring the lawn with your blood
Did she smile her work to see?
And did the pain make you pee?
And as neighbors heard your snores
Did you dream about your whores?
Complete defeat, is this true?
Beat you and your caddy, too?
Now as you try to clean up
Have you reread that pre-nup?
Is hush money a small price
For avoiding Elin’s slice?
Were your sponsors caused great stress
By the words of that waitress?
Or is the deal perm’nent now
With “Nike” marked on your brow?
Tiger, Tiger, bleeding bright
In the driveway of the night
What small Swedish hand or wrist
With a three-wood your head kissed?
–DTM

*****

So anyone have any more???
hehehe

Have a  funny  day!

XOXO
Me






(photo from here http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor)

Ketchup Day.

Hello All;
Caseys appointment yesterday went OK-  I am sure she will post when she can-
She also went to her doctor today; having been up (in pain and sick) since 2AM; which is not normal for her (only me I guess).

Oh my greatness, I am so dang far behind in everything!  Reading, and blogging, and replying as well. I am also behind on some cleaning around here, but as I have learned, that'll keep.  hehehe
Choices? My mind is made up.  I am going to spend my online time today catching up with everyone.

Oka, I went to yours earlier this morning, and opened your last 3 in new tabs.
This succeeded in freezing up my little laptop, so I did what any normal person does at a time like that- and went back to bed.    hehehe

Hope everyone has a "wunnaful" day.  Love to all.




XOXO
Me

My Best Friend?!

Representing necessary magic for me. ↑

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Good Morning Everyone!
And welcome to your first Monday of 2010. hehehe  
Hope all is going well, (and that it remains that way throughout the year)!

I was treated for an ulcer years ago. I think I might have it back. The Pepto Bismol above has been my best friend for the past few days or so. I don't want it back! The treatment being much worse than the ulcer itself!
However, it would not surprise me to learn that is has returned... Maybe it has something to do with all the calcium I've been taking?


Casey has a doctor appointment this afternoon that I will be picking her up for and bringing her to. She has some awful pain once more. Think the Reglan™ Dr. S prescribed for her is beginning not to work so well. It is aka "metoclopramide". CLICK HERE for info.
You can only take that one for so long anyway before you get some bad complications- 
and that is why she can't 'wait' longer to have these surgeries done.

Speaking of illness and our kids, I came across this article, CLICK HERE, which says in short, "Flu Pandemics May Be Worsened By Short-Term School Closures" There is not much anyone can do about this, but something to think about anyway.
Am guessing everyone's children are back to school today? 

Casey was to begin 2nd term on the 25th- But that conflicts bad with her next scheduled surgeries. CLICK, if you don't have my calendar up on your page. She will be taking this semester off, and re-up come Fall.
Hopefully she will be well enough to enjoy her Birthday Party on the 23rd.
FYI to My Sweet Pea; We laughed our butts off, and had no grand comeback to your comment.
By way of explanation and apology for my mental lapse, this is for you...

↓   ↓   ↓   ↓   ↓   ↓   ↓

.
..

Your comment is as hysterical as this little guy!
We can only hope that one day you will not be as confused anymore.
HAHAHA

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It has been mighty cold- (Must be the Winter thing? hehehe)...
At least it is real pretty outside.
.
.
.
 
    ~~ Sunrise on New Years, 2010


I know some of you were not able to see our blue moon last week because of the clouds.

Here it is from my bedroom window
.
.
.

Moon, setting in the west...



Hmmm   Let's see.  Among other things, I scared the heck out of myself. and almost didn't HAVE a bedroom to write about-

I might have needed some of this...
.
.
.
 
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.
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To fix this part of a cord...
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.
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Not noticing the cord to my glue gun was more than a bit frayed; I reached over and plugged it into the outlet. HOLY JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH! Huge bright parks flew about a foot out of the wall, and off the cord! (Forgetting about NOT being able to jump, I think I cleared about 5 feet between my feet and the floor).

Confession: after repairs were made, I did put an ove~glove on as I plugged it in again. All was well and I was back in business in no time.  YAY!



FDA Recalls that I didn't post, but you probably already know about: (And I did post about hazelnuts, so will leave those off the list)

• Tylenol Arthritis, 100 count
• Nutty Guys Butter Toffee Peanuts & Yogurt Covered Peanuts
  

we
And then there was this one:  "Publix Issues Allergy Alert on Pecans in Publix Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Pie"
I still don't understand it, even with the explanation: "because it was mislabeled and may contain undeclared pecans."

Call me st00pid~
If I were to buy anything that's called 'Pumpkin Pecan' I would assume that it might have pecans in it...


I'd better close for now and get my backside motivated and in the shower.

Hope y'all have a "wunnaful" Monday!

XOXO
Me

Copyright; Multiply; their Terms of Service, and What They Mean To You

http://astranavigo08.multiply.com/journal/item/408

Please read; then sign the petition...



From "The Celestial Navigator"

Some of you have expressed serious concern over the past few weeks regarding Multiply's Terms of Service.  To that end, I was asked by a couple of people who are also writers, and who also post original material on this site, to craft a petition requesting that Multiply change its Terms of Service.

Why is this a big deal?

It's a big deal because Multiply is still operating (indeed; they're the only major social-net which is still so-operating) under the TOS's which were used by Facebook and the others - they literally hold the right to your material, and may use it any way they choose.

As anyone who's ever published anything can tell you, this is serious, and significant.

From the TOS document:

"You retain all ownership rights in your Member Content. However, by posting Content to the Website, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to Multiply (and its successors) an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, assignable, royalty free, worldwide license to use, copy, perform, display, distribute and to prepare derivative works of such Content in connection with the Website and the Service, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing."

In plain terms - you still own your material, but if you use Multiply to publish it, you also surrender a license to them - for free - to use that material. 

• They can sell your original photos.
• They can re-publish your serialized novels or short-stories.
• They can take your video-series, and sell them for profit.

This won't apply to some of you, who use Multiply for a far-less-serious method of casual communication between your online friends.  

However, for those of us who view our material as having genuine value, not just emotional, but intrinsic, this is a very serious problem.

A few months ago, Facebook users created a petition, obtained over 10,000 signatures, and got that material in the hands of the media at the same time that they submitted it to Facebook for their consideration.   Facebook recognized that they were on the wrong side of history, and changed their TOS.

I have created a petition which may be found here:  (Click Here)   What I'm asking you to do - every one of you - is this:

1.    Go to the petition-site and follow the instructions.   If you feel like signing the petition, please use the "Guestbook" to do so with an affirmative statement.

2.     Forward a link to this post - the one you're reading - to every one of your friend's-list.   Yes; some will get duplicates, because we share, in a lot of cases, mutual friends.   That's all right.

3.    Encourage them to do the same thing - the sooner this petition goes 'viral', the sooner we'll reach our goal, which is to protect the material we've posted here.

4.    Please do not copy or create a new petition - refer people to this one.  Multiple petitions just confuse the issue - we want one petition with many thousands of signatures; in this way, it convinces Multiply that we're a serious group of people who want change, rather than a disorganized group with no cohesiveness.   Also, this looks much better when it's presented to media-outlets for coverage.

It has been my experience that these things do not change unless they're changed by people who care.   In the case of those of you who have put hours and hours (sometimes months and years) into the material you've posted here in the hopes of finding a publisher or gaining the attention of other writers with the eye to making a living from your writing, the existing Terms of Service are a serious impediment to your efforts, and could prevent you from publishing anything at all.

None of us who create for a living - or even a hobby - want to see our material co-opted by someone else.

Sign the petition today!

I'll thank you for it.

Best,

-- Will ("Astra")

"I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian." ~~ Not sure who said it, but it tickled my funny bone! ~What's for YOUR dinner? ~XOXO, Me

Caseys Birthday Party

Start:	Jan 23, '10 1:00p
Location:	Olive Garden on Oneida

For her 23rd birthday present, Casey would love for ALL of you to be there! (As would I).
Yes, it's "Dutch Treat" Because no, I am not rich. hehehe

XOXO
Me

Antrectomy; Plus roux-en-Y Gastrojejunostomy

Start:	Jan 29, '10 07:30a
End:	Jan 29, '10 8:00p
Location:	UofM

Casey. More surgeries. Combined in one day
Another LONG day ahead. But [only?] an 11 hour surgery this time.

She has finally posted this info for everyone, so I might share too.
Please go here to read her entry about it.
http://edbdkcn.multiply.com/journal/item/131

Prayers required.

XOXO
Mama D.



I will also post this separately.
On a related (kind of anyway) note, and for anyone near enough...
Know that we will be celebrating Casey's 23rd birthday on January 23 at 1:00PM at the Olive Garden in Ashwaubenon.
Dutch treat.
(This, pending any adverse weather developments that might get blown our way).

Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy

Lady V, up her tree!

Happy New Year Everyone!

I was unsure, and skeptical of any resolution this year, but I can prattle endlessly about making one up. hehehe

• I know already that I won't be quitting smoking.
• I know already that I won't stop cussing as I ram my toe into the floor register at 3AM.
• I know that I probably won't go on a starvation diet under any pretense of liking myself more.
  
  • I already know that I like myself just fine.
    
    • Besides, I ♥LOVE♥ cooking way too much!

Having received this I have realized that perhaps only one of these could be a wonderful resolution for anyone!

Whatever your resolutions, may 2010 be our very best year ever!
Happy Happy New Year to all.

My love and peace.

XOXO
Me

************

**  Resolutions for 2010 and beyond...  **

Health:

• Drink plenty of water.
  
  
• Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a beggar. In between please work off as many of those calories as you possibly can.
  
  
• Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
  
  
• Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
  
  
• Make time to pray.
  
  
• Play more games
  
  
• Read more books, and articles; retain more information than you did in 2009.
  
  
• Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
  
  
• Learn self-hypnosis or biofeedback
  
  
• Sleep for 7 hours- (Concurrently or cumulatively does not matter).
  
  
• Take a 10-30 minute walk daily.
  
  • While you walk, smile.
    
    • Carry your camera.
  • Carry a little bag with you and pick up one piece of garbage/refuse each time you walk, even if it's only a leaf.
  
  
• Everything has its own story, even a little piece of trash. Learn it.
  
  • Have your children make a story up.
  
  
• Write down your dream(s) every morning before you get out of bed, or as you may remember them throughout the day.
  
  • They will make sense to you after a month or so.
  
  
  

Personality:

• Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
  
  • Walk that mile in their shoes before casting aspersions or judgments
  
  
• Don't have negative thoughts for things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
  
  
• Don't over~do anything.
  
  • Realize and respect your own limits.
  
  
• Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
  
  
• Never waste your time gossiping about your friends. That is what the news is for..
  
  
• Dream more while you are awake. Write these down too.
  
  • Make it a point to share your dreams with someone you love and trust.
  
  
• Envy is not only a waste of time, but also one of the 7 Deadly Sins.
  
  • Know that you already have all that you need.
    
    • Be thankful for it.
  
  
• Forget negative issues of the past.
  
  • Don't remind the people that love you with the mistakes of the past; it will only ruin your present happiness.
  
  
• Let Go and Let God, no matter your Faith.
  
  
• Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
  
  • Remove the word "hate" from your vocabulary, (and from your childrens too).
  
  
• Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
  
  
• Know this:
  
  • No one is in charge of your happiness except for you.
  
  
• Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. 
  
  • Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class; but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
  
  
• Smile and laugh more. 
  
  • Genuine "belly laughs" are best. The kind that loudly brings you to tears, and makes your tummy hurt from lack of oxygen
    
    
  
  
• You don 't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree, but make it a point to learn a little something from everyone.

Society:

• Call those that you love often.
  
  
• Each day give something good to others.
  
  • A compliment. Encouragement. A belly laugh.
  
  
• Forgive everyone for everything.
  
  • If it won't matter in 5 years, it does not matter now.
  
  
• Spend more time with more people over the age of 70, & under the age of 6.
  
  • Listen carefully, and respectfully, to them both.
  
  
• Try to make at least three people smile each day.
  
  
• What other people think of you is none of your business.
  
  • Even if you know what they think, don't make it matter.
  
  
• Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Your family will. Remain in touch.

Life:

• Do the right thing! Make the right choices so that you regret nothing-
  
  • If you mess up, deal with it, make it better, and move on.
  
  
• Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
  
  • Share it with someone who either needs it, or thinks it IS beautiful or joyful.
  
  
• Remember that GOD heals everything.
  
  
• However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
  
  
• No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
  
  
• The best is yet to come. (It better be).
  
  
• When you awake above ground in the morning, be thankful for it.
  
  
• Your innermost self is always happy.
  
  • Don't fight it, simply be happy.

Last but not the least:

• Share this with everyone you care about, I just did.    

What is YOUR resolution for the new year?

Corn vs Coal

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-12/su-evg121409.php
Ethanol, often promoted as a clean-burning, renewable fuel that could help wean the nation from oil, would likely worsen health problems caused by ozone, compared with gasoline, especially in winter, according to a new study led by Stanford researchers.

Ozone production from both gasoline and E85, a blend of gasoline and ethanol that is 85 percent ethanol, is greater in warm sunny weather than during the cold weather and short days of winter, because heat and sunlight contribute to ozone formation. But E85 produces different byproducts of combustion than gasoline and generates substantially more aldehydes, which are precursors to ozone.

"What we found is that at the warmer temperatures, with E85, there is a slight increase in ozone compared to what gasoline would produce," said Diana Ginnebaugh, a doctoral candidate in civil and environmental engineering, who worked on the study. She will present the results of the study on Tuesday, Dec. 15, at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco. "But even a slight increase is a concern, especially in a place like Los Angeles, because you already have episodes of high ozone that you have to be concerned about, so you don't want any increase."

But it was at colder temperatures, below freezing, that it appeared the health impacts of E85 would be felt most strongly.

"We found a pretty substantial increase in ozone production from E85 at cold temperatures, relative to gasoline when emissions and atmospheric chemistry alone were considered," Ginnebaugh said. Although ozone is generally lower under cold-temperature winter conditions, "If you switched to E85, suddenly you could have a place like Denver exceeding ozone health-effects limits and then they would have a health concern that they don't have now."

The problem with cold weather emissions arises because the catalytic converters used on vehicles have to warm up before they reach full efficiency. So until they get warm, a larger proportion of pollutants escapes from the tailpipe into the air.

There are other pollutants that would increase in the atmosphere from burning E85 instead of gasoline, some of which are irritants to eyes, throats and lungs, and can also damage crops, but the aldehydes are the biggest contributors to ozone production, as well as being carcinogenic.

Ginnebaugh worked with Mark Z. Jacobson, professor of civil and environmental engineering, using vehicle emissions data from some earlier studies and applying it to the Los Angeles area to model the likely output of pollutants from vehicles.

Because E85 is only now beginning to be used in mass-produced vehicles, the researchers projected for the year 2020, when more "flex fuel" vehicles, which can run on E85, will likely be in use. They estimated that vehicle emissions would be about 60 percent less than today, because automotive technology will likely continue to become cleaner over time. They investigated two scenarios, one that had all the vehicles running on E85 and another in which the vehicles all ran on gasoline.

Running a widely used, complex model involving over 13,000 chemical reactions, they did repeated simulations at different ambient temperatures for the two scenarios, each time simulating a 48-hour period. They used the average ozone concentrations during each of those periods for comparison.

They found that at warm temperatures, from freezing up to 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 F conversion), in bright sunlight, E85 raised the concentration of ozone in the air by up to 7 parts per billion more than produced by gasoline.
At cold temperatures, from freezing down to minus 37 degrees Celsius, they found E85 raised ozone concentrations by up to 39 parts per billion more than gasoline.

"What we are saying with these results is that you see an increase," Ginnebaugh said. "We are not saying that this is the exact magnitude you are going to get in a given urban area, because it is really going to vary from city to city depending on a lot of other factors such as the amount of natural vegetation, traffic levels, and local weather patterns."

Ginnebaugh said the results of the study represent a preliminary analysis of the impact of E85. More data from studies of the emissions of flex fuel vehicles at various temperatures would help refine the estimates, she said.

###

Paul Livingstone contributed to the study while he was a postdoctoral researcher in civil and environmental engineering. He now works for the California Air Resources Board.

Contact: Louis Bergeron
louisb3@stanford.edu
650-725-1944
Stanford University
**********************

So much for corn vs. coal.

Time to start over kids-
Coal is nonrenewable, and very very dirty. Our usage must absolutely be kept in check; and ultimately done away with.

$ave your dollars spent on gas and insurances.
Can anyone say SUNSHINE, bicycles, shanks mare, and public transportation?
It's about time.

XOXO
Me

Before Our Flintville Christmas

Thank You!

Good Morning All;
And a "Holly~Jolly" two days after to everyone!
Once more I have been having many problems with my computer, and the fact that Multiply chooses the heart of the day to do its updating-  So, I did what any normal person does on the day after... I napped like a kitten with a full belly.

Nice when sleep comes... I had gotten those shots in my back on Christmas Eve- Not a bit of relief either, but we made it there and back without any real problems on the roads of ice/snow.

I hope your Christmas was "wunnaful", though I know many people had many problems with the weather.  Knowing that my sister Barbara was on the road with her hubby as they headed west to Texas was not a happy thought-  I haven't heard from them, and am assuming all is well.

William and Lawrence called on Christmas Eve- So nice to hear those voices on the other end of the line!  All is well in Prattville- threatening rain, but at that point had very little that actually fell.  Lawrence sounding so very grown up!

As far as the storm went, (and it went far and wide), I hope everyone hunkered down to enjoy a quiet, safe and warm day; where ever you might have ended up.


This photo stolen from NOAA- showing what this storm was like on the eve of Christmas Eve.



This NOAA satellite image taken Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009 at 12:45 a.m. EST shows a developing storm system in the Southern Plains, which is generating a mix of snow and freezing rain over eastern Colorado and Kansas. Moreover, widely scattered showers and thunderstorms are noted across the Southern Plains and Mississippi Valley.



Then this picture on Christmas Day, actually showing an "eye" in Minnesota...






This is what it left behind here...





Casey and Greg were out bright and early trying to remove snow and ice so people could actually get to the front door without killing themselves in the process.

This picture, taken on Christmas Eve- As the snow just kept on coming down. And just enough to screw up the sidewalks too.




No hat???

Not too chilled, but a fresh glass of eggnog always warms up the innards!

And the nog that won't flow out of the cup? No problems. (And no need for a thorough pre~rinse either when this dog is around).




I promise the glass got washed... hehehe

It helps too, to warm up by playing a bit...




Sheesh kids, hasn't your mama ever told you not to play on the steps???






Colors of Christmas also warm the spirit...





And the mistletoe?




...also has a warming effect




Awwwww......   Sweet, aren't they?


And all dressed up with nowhere to go!


hehehe





Who ARE these people???


And who is this little guy trying to make his exit without being caught?





I'd better close for now- Darn computer wants to do a bit of updating, and I must update my shower for the day!

Hope you are all having a very special Christmas Week!
My love to all

XOXO
Me

Is anyone else's anti~virus all over Multiply this morning?

Health Care Update. What's in the bill? (Updated)

http://www.newshoggers.com/blog/2009/12/health-care-update-whats-in-the-bill.html
December 21, 2009
Health Care Update -- What's in the bill? (Updated)
By John Ballard

Thanks to holiday indigestion I was awake at one in the morning to watch the Senate's cloture vote on TV. Surfing about I noticed the proceedings were bumped from C-SPAN I to C-SPAN II, CNN had continuous live coverage with the usual annoyance of talking heads, Fox got on board the last few minutes and the alphabet networks ignored the whole thing. Two more procedural fences remain before the results even get to "reconciliation."
Anyone thinking this issue is out of the weeds might still believe in Santa.

Having got that out of the way, I refer the reader to Dr. Timothy Jost at Health Affairs whose close scrutiny of these matters is the most timely and comprehensive I have found. 


Amendments to title I, the health insurance reform provisions of the bill, take up about a quarter of the Manager’s Amendment. This post will discuss these provisions.
The remainder of the Amendment contains:

• amendments to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), including additional funding for CHIP for 2014 and 2015;
• a new program for pregnant and parenting teens and women;
• a number of new Medicare initiatives, with a focus on innovative approaches to provider payment, quality reporting, minority health, and more resources for rural health;
• a change in the name of the Independent Medicare Advisory Board to the Independent Payment Advisory Board and a change in its mandate so that it would now issue reports on slowing the growth of non-federal spending as well as Medicare spending.  The IPAB would also have authority to make binding recommendations for cutting Medicare spending in years where Medicare spending exceeded the growth of health care spending generally;
• an expansion of Medicare to cover individuals suffering from exposure to certain environmental health hazards and funding for environmental health hazard screening;  * public health initiatives including new programs for depression, congenital heart disease, and breast cancer;
• funding for state malpractice reform initiatives;
• adjustments in the funding provisions of the bill (including elimination of the excise tax on cosmetic surgery and the addition of a 10% tax on indoor tanning).

After mentioning provisions regarding the public option and abortion, he notes the most bizarre piece of legislative language imaginable to be included in legislation regarding health care and/or insurance reform.


The Manager’s Amendment also (it is hoped) puts to rest the anxieties of those who believe that the real agenda of health reform is to disarm the populace.
The legislation prohibits the consideration of lawful gun ownership or use in setting insurance premiums or in wellness or prevention programs, as well as the collection of data concerning gun ownership, storage, or use.

May God protect us from those who need to see this in writing.


Now here is some of the good stuff.


The Manager’s Amendment does not simply address the concerns of conservatives, however. It also improves on the consumer protections offered by the underlying bill.
A number of provisions of the Amendment expand or at least clarify the protections of the original bill.

These provisions:

• Prohibit group health plans and all insurers from imposing lifetime or annual dollar limits after 2014 and permit only “restricted annual limits” prior to that date.
• The underlying bill allowed “reasonable” annual limits on a permanent basis. The Amendment continues to allow group health plans and insurers to place annual or lifetime limits on specific covered benefits.
• Align the prohibition on discrimination in favor of highly compensated-individuals in insured group plans with those already in place with respect to self-insured plans.
• Extend minimum insurer medical loss ratios to grandfathered plans and increase them from 75 percent to 80 percent for individual insurers and from 80 percent to 85 percent in the large group market.
• As in the underlying bill, insurers who exceed these ratios must provide rebates to their consumers.
• States may require higher ratios, but HHS may also lower the ratios in the individual market if the market would otherwise be destabilized.
• HHS is to enforce the requirement.
• Provide that HHS is supposed to develop external review standards for coverage determinations and claims for self-insured ERISA plans and for insurers in states that do not have external review laws.
• Apply the uniform explanation of coverage provisions to grandfathered plans
• Prohibit pre-existing conditions clauses for children under the age of 19 effective six months after enactment.
• Require all health plans and insurers (and not just qualified health plans in the exchange, as in the underlying bill) to cover emergency services without prior authorization or additional out-of-network cost sharing,
• to permit pediatricians to be designated as primary care providers for children,
• and to permit women in plans that cover obstetrical and gynecological care to have direct access to obstetricians and gynecologists.
• Fund “Medical Reimbursement Data Centers” to collect and analyze information from health insurers, provide consumers with information to help them understand provider charges in their area, and develop fee schedules and other database tools.
• Require plans to allow their members to participate in approved clinical trials in relation to the prevention, detection, or treatment of cancer or other life threatening diseases and to cover the routine patient costs of trial participation.
• Permit “qualified direct primary care medical home plans” to participate in the exchange.
• Require exchanges to take “into consideration” excessive or unjustified premium increases in determining whether to certify a health plan for exchange participation.
• Require exchange plans to implement activities to reduce health and health care disparities.

Dr. Jost finishes by examining administrative provisions regarding mandates, penalties and maneuvers aimed at closing the "donut hole" (legacy of a prescription drug plan, the now-famous Part D, a convoluted feature of the Bush years insuring that the middle class cough up every penny they can afford before receiving one additional dime of government assistance as they slide in the direction of Medicaid).

"Not all of the regulatory provisions of the bill are consumer friendly, however." he adds. "
The provision in the underlying bill allowing states to regulate rates paid to agents and brokers for enrolling individuals and groups in exchange plans has been dropped."  All you states rights people can now stand and applaud. The civil rights movement has taught you nothing.
I give Dr. Jost the last word.


What comes next?

Once it is adopted, the Senate bill will have to be reconciled with the House bill.

While the insurance provisions of the Senate bill have real strengths — their transparency provisions for example — the bill also has, from my perspective, great weaknesses.
The two most significant, I believe, are its four-year delay in implementation date and its dependence on the states to enact and enforce the federal reforms.
There are other problems with the bill as well, such as its allowing an individual insurance market to continue to exist outside of the exchange, which will surely make the exchange a target for adverse selection.
The affordability subsidies in the Senate bill are also less generous for low-income households, those most in need of help, than the House bill. But many of its provisions should bring real improvements in insurance markets.


As promised, here is a link to Dr. Jost's second post. Rather than parse his post I leave it to anyone interested in further details to go to the original. Meantime, here is an easy to copy list of ingredients going into the Congressional Sausage Machine...


The simplest, though perhaps most tedious, approach to identifying these provisions of the manager’s amendment is simply to list them.

Here is a list, roughly in the order in which they appear in the bill. New or expanded initiatives in the bill include:

• Medicaid coverage for former foster children under the age of 26 who age out of Medicaid.
• Requirements for public notice and comment at both the state and federal level (including public hearings at the state level); periodic evaluation by the Department of Health and Human Services; and reporting to Congress for new Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program section 1115 waivers. These waivers have often been used to make radical and permanent changes in state Medicaid programs with little transparency or public scrutiny.
• “Balancing payment incentives” to incentivize new program initiatives to encourage the use of Medicaid-funded home and community-based care in states that rely disproportionately on institutional long-term care.
• Extended federal funding for the CHIP program for 2014 and 2015.
• Competitive grants to the states for assisting pregnant and parenting teens and women. These grants would go to institutions of higher learning, high schools, and community centers that would offer pregnant and parenting teens and women the support that they need to get an education and to function. Grants would also be made to state attorneys general for improving services to pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
• Enactment of S. 1790, a bill to improve the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.
• The development of a value-based purchasing program for ambulatory surgical centers.
• A revision to the national quality improvement strategy to mandate quality outcomes measures for doctors and hospitals for 10 acute and chronic diseases in 24 months and 10 primary and preventive care measures within 36 months.
• A public report by HHS on measures for hospital-acquired infections and ongoing studies by the Institute of Medicine on clinical practice guidelines.
• A requirement that HHS develop a strategic framework for collecting, aggregating, and reporting data on provider performance.
• New provisions for testing payment and delivery system innovation models by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.
• Provision for additional payment models for the Medicare shared-saving (accountable care organization) program. ACOs are encouraged to participate in similar arrangements with private payers.
• Provision for expansion of the national Medicare pilot program for payment bundling if it proves successful.
• A pilot program for continuing care hospitals, which combine rehabilitation, skilled nursing facility, and long-term care services with acute care.
• Further extension of the rural community hospital demonstration project.
• A study, to be followed by a demonstration project, of revising the home health prospective payment system to assure access to care and accommodation of patient severity of illness.
• A quality reporting program for psychiatric hospitals.
• A pilot study for a pay-for-performance programs for psychiatric, rehabilitation, long-term care, and cancer hospitals and for hospices. Incentive payments for doctors who participate in maintenance of certification programs more often than is required for their board certification.
• Targeted Medication review programs for Part D drug plans.
• Development of a physician compare website with information on outcomes, patient safety, patient satisfaction, and continuity of care.
• Demonstration projects on providing incentives to Medicare beneficiaries to choose high quality providers
• Provision for access to Medicare data for researchers with appropriate safeguards.
• A program for community-based collaborative care networks involving a hospital and federally qualified health centers to provide comprehensive services to law income populations.
• The creation of a Deputy Assistant for Minority Health in HHS and creation of offices of minority health in the CDC, HRSA, SAMHSA, AHRQ, the FDA, and CMS. This provision is, in my mind, long overdue.
• A requirement for a national diabetes report.
• Provision for $200 million in grants to small businesses for wellness programs.
• Creation of a new national center for excellence in depression research and a national center on congenital heart disease.
• A new program for breast cancer education and prevention for younger women. (I wonder where this came from?)
• Provision for a prospective payment system for federally qualified health centers by 2014.
• Additional funding for training nurse practitioners, rural physicians, and preventive health and public health specialists.
• Six billion dollars in new funding over 5 years for community health centers.
• A 3-year demonstration project for 10 states to provide comprehensive care to the uninsured at reduced fees.
• Provisions for amending the federal sentencing guidelines to increase criminal sanctions for fraud and amending the criminal health care fraud statute to clarify that a provider need not have actual knowledge of the prohibition or intent to violate the fraud statute to be convicted of fraud.

And finally, another closing statement or two from Dr. Jost...

While there is much to like in titles II through IX of the manager’s amendment, I will close with a mention of the two features in amendment that I find disagreeable. First the bill provides a “cures acceleration program” to fund research for “high need cures” for which incentives in the commercial market are unlikely to result in timely development. The Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and a new Cure Acceleration Network Board are supposed to work together to facilitate the discovery of such cures and to translate them from bench to bedside. Grants can be made under the project of up to $15 million a year to eligible entities such as academic medical schools, biotech companies, and drug companies, who need only meet a $1 to $3 matching requirement. $500 million is appropriated for this program for 2010.

This is all well and good and a great idea. But nothing that I can see in the legislation gives the taxpayer any stake in this investment. A drug or biotech company that in fact discovers a blockbuster drug or biologic through the federal government’s investment (perhaps for an off-label use) owes nothing in return. Shouldn’t we the taxpayers get some return on our investment, or at least the promise of reasonable prices? [ed. JB This is an echo of the sweetheart deal drug makers already have with NIH whereby important discoveries resulting from research paid for by tax dollars there is sold "wholesale" to the for-profit private sector for a few years before any generic competitor is permitted.]

The final issue is a small one. The original bill required charitable hospitals to charge persons eligible for financial assistance “the lowest amount charged” insured patients. The amendment requires that they charge “the amount generally charged.”

Merry Christmas, Ebenezer.

Hazelnuts recalled... US FDA

http://www.fda.gov/
Just a heads up-

There are too many links to post all at once here.
Just know that you should not be eating any hazelnuts. It seems as the last half dozen or so recalls on my list are ALL hazelnut recalls.

XOXO
Me

photo from here:
www.hazelnuts.com.au/images/hazelnut26.gif

Slush~N~Uck~N~Mush

More, on the way...

Good Afternoon!
I am online here- Not sure for how long, but am happy that my desktop is working once more-

I had a dentist appointment at 7 this morning... Bad in the chair for my back, but at least I could get up and stand for a bit. That helped. Have to go back for a cleaning at the end of January. Oh well.

Casey has been coming out to try to help get Christmas in order for my annual brunch. What a great help she has been to me! 
Kelli even came and rolled my dumpster out to the road last night for me! 
Also yesterday, my sister Barbara, (Panama City Beach, FL) called. What a lovely surprise!  She keeps updated by reading the blogs, but not the same as talking either. And she might just fly up to Minneapolis when Casey has those next 2 surgeries, if all works out for her.
Like myself, Barbara sent out zero Christmas cards- The first year for her not to either.  She just didn't want me to think she had forgotten about me. (Not a chance, I know she loves me). We had such a great conversation!  Methinks I have about 50 phone calls of my own to be making! hehehe

Family and friends- What could be better?

As you can guess, my back has been an unrelenting kind of awful.
Our weather is to turn nasty(er) tonight, and I have an appointment with the pain management doctor tomorrow morning, at 7:50. This, for two more pain injections in my back. I may try to arrive earlier if I can so we don't have to be in the worst of the storm-
They are calling for 4-8 inches of new snow, plus ice, rain, drizzle, sleet, and all the rest, beginning tonight. Slush. Uck. And mush.
If the shots work then all will be worth it. If not, or if they leave me feeling rough or otherwise, Casey has already volunteered to do the cooking on Christmas morning. Thank God for Casey and Greg. (She volunteered himself too)!

My computer is trying to upload some updates- It's been a while...
I shall try to post a real blog later on today or tomorrow; and maybe after it's all updated I can even get to a few of your own blogs. I just don't want it to shut down in the middle of trying to post this! Darn thing.

In the meanwhile I hope all is well with everyone, and that you all are safe and warm (enough).

Love to all, and Merry Christmas too!

XOXO
Me
 

Are YOU Ready?

12-18-2008

Good Evening All;
Anything I would write at this point would be so depressing that I would have to unpost it later. hehehe? 
I won't write much. (Suffice to say between my head and my back, neither is winning, but they keep on warring anyway).
Punk did go to see Dr. Spires yesterday- For whatever reason, (maybe her injury as a pup), her glands just don't fix themselves as they should. She is OK for now once again.

As is Casey!
Isn't it hard to believe but it has been exactly one year since Casey's TP/AIT?

Hard to believe also that it is 26 degrees above-
So by my calculations that is a full 40 degrees warmer than it was then!
Nice, that.
I am, and always will be, "wonderfilled"  that Casey is such a gift to me, and an inspiration to everyone who faces any kind of adversity.
This "anniversary" is a miracle, even though she is still facing two more prolonged surgeries. (One is about 11 hours).

Speaking of weather, (was too),  if you are part of the 50 Million people in the pathway of the Eastern Storms/Blizzards, please stay safe and warm. Know where your flashlights and your can openers are...

I am unprepared for Christmas. It will remain that way.
I am not sending Christmas cards/presents this year. Know I love y'all even if I can't afford to do all that this time around. Casey got the mail yesterday!  Thank you to all that sent me a card. I do appreciate them all.
As many of you already know, I put them up for everyone that visits to see/read!

My Yahoo email "seems" to be working again. I tried to report the problem etc, and kept getting pages that said the page was closed, or moved with no forward link. Dang Yahoo anyway.

*** For those of you who receive my updates through your email, and if you missed yesterdays blog, (as written by Punk), here is that link.
http://flintville.multiply.com/journal/item/918

I must get the shopping done for my little Christmas Brunch. That get~together is always such a high point, for the year, for me.
I once blew up an entire dish of beef hash on John. While we didn't have hash that year, the look on his face as he stood 6 inches away when my dish went "bang" will remain imprinted on my psyche forever.

I'd better close- Can't stand the light for long...
Hope your spirits are all wonder~filled!

Love to all

XOXO
Me

PS
I received the following link to click and note in my email today.
It is not too late to make your voice heard.

The latest Senate health care bill has no public option. No expansion of Medicare. And it does too little to guarantee that uninsured Americans will actually be able afford the coverage they'll be required to purchase.

But it's not too late to fix the bill. And as Joe Lieberman has shown, just one senator willing to stand in the way can force legislation to be changed dramatically.

Senator Bernie Sanders has already made clear that he's opposed to the legislation in its current form. I just signed a petition urging him and other progressives to block it until it's fixed. Will you join me?

http://pol.moveon.org/block/?r_by=18359-14408432-fU5ZDvx&rc=paste

Thanks

The petition reads: "America needs real health care reform—not a massive giveaway to the insurance companies. Senator Bernie Sanders and other progressives should block this bill until it's fixed."

Despite this latest setback, we can still win the health care fight. The House has already passed a strong health care bill with a real public option. It would cover millions of uninsured Americans, offer real competition to the insurance companies, and reduce costs in the long run.

MoveOn members overwhelmingly support the House bill. But it's clear from member feedback and surveys that the majority of MoveOn members oppose the Senate bill as it now stands.⁴

And recent polls show growing opposition among grassroots progressives generally—the very folks Democrats in Washington count on to volunteer and donate to their campaigns.⁵ One found that one-third of Democratic voters will be less likely to vote next year if Congress doesn't pass a public option.⁶

So to get real reform, we need to immediately send a powerful message to Senate progressives like Bernie Sanders, Roland Burris, and Russ Feingold that we're counting on them to block this bill until it's fixed.

Click here to add your name to the petition:

http://pol.moveon.org/block/o.pl?id=18359-14408432-fU5ZDvx&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Kat, Joan, Michael, Ilya, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "ANALYSIS: House Bill More Affordable Than Senate Legislation," Think Progress, October 30, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85097&id=18359-14408432-fU5ZDvx&t=5

"Side-by-Side Comparison of Major Health Care Reform Proposals," Kaiser Family Foundation, November 23, 2009
http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm

2. "Senate Bill a Big Win for Insurance Companies," Countdown with Keith Olbermann, December 16, 2009
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#34455097

3. "Sanders Could Still Vote No On Cloture," WhoRunsGov.com, December 17, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85817&id=18359-14408432-fU5ZDvx&t=6

4. MoveOn Members' Views on the Senate Health Care Bill
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85818&id=18359-14408432-fU5ZDvx&t=7

5. "Poll: Loss of Public Option Causes Big Increase in Opposition to Health Care Bill," Talking Points Memo, December 16, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85808&id=18359-14408432-fU5ZDvx&t=8

6. "Poll: One Third Of Dems Less Likely To Vote In 2010 If Public Option Dies," WhoRunsGov.com, December 14, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85816&id=18359-14408432-fU5ZDvx&t=9 !

**************

Please take a minute to NOT give up the fight.
You might have to sign up (It's been so long, I don't remember),
But do remember this: Anything less is sanctioned murder!