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Bit the bullet and upgraded to MT 3.2 today. It will be interesting to see what works and what doesn't... I got about 50 trackback spams today, and figured upgrading would be easier than deleting. Let me know if you notice anything that isn't working or looking right.
Today I got a phone call asking me what I thought about hospitals in my area and how they are managed.
I went along with it for about 10 minutes, then my kids got unruly so I quit. He then called back and asked me several more questions an hour or so later.
The simple truth is that I pick my Hospital based apon the recommendation of my doctor, and perhaps more importantly the HMO or PPO that is footing the bill. I don't care who runs it, why they run it, how they run it. I go where the doctor schedules me.
They asked a lot of silly questions that I would have no way of knowing the answer to. For example, How do you think the Quality of Care at the Spokane based hospitals compares to hospitals elsewhere? I have not been hospitalized elsewhere. Actually, I have never been hospitalized here, but they didn't ask about that. "Do you think Locally owned hospitals are better run than those owned outside the area?" How many people read the annual reports for the hospitals in their area? I enjoy my blissful ignorance on this topic.
They didn't ask for additional input at the end, but I thought about telling him that hospitals that make business decisions based on the popular opinion of the uninformed public are most certainly mis-managed, and are quite efficiently wasting money.
If I every get filthy rich, and want to torment the public, perhaps I will hire a research firm to quiz people for 10 or 20 minutes on their opinons of Einstien's Special Theory of Relativity or something like that.
They asked If I worked for any heath care provider or insurance carrier. I am fairly certain that If I had said yes, they would have disqualified me. I will be sure to disqualify scientists from my special relativity poll.
| Gary just broke the door to my office. For some reason that reminded me of this book, which Gary is now going to have to read as punishment. Don't worry, it will be a fun read. ;-) |
Interesting post by Margaret Friedenauer, an embedded reporter in Iraq: Reporting from Iraq � Blog Archive � The view from on the ground
Iraq is a real place, and is populated with real people. These people have conversations, transactions, and interactions every day with our soldiers. Our soldiers are often making friends with these locals, and have real relationships with them. The quantity and quality of these relationships are likely the real story in Iraq. When you watch the nightly news, you hear the bodycount update, but rarely do you get to see the real story.
The real story is almost always embedded in people and relationships. When you report about a crime, a fire, a crash, or a war, it is quite sterile and empty if you don't get a glimpse into the human impact of the story.
In life this is true as well. If you sell somebody a good or service, the actual product is basically a commodity. They likely can get your product or service from any number of people. What provides the flavor of life is the relationships tht are built between people.
How many stories do we miss when we simplify the story down to a metric of some type?
My Buick has been a bit sick lately. It sprung a leak in the coolant system just before Thanksgiving, and I have not driven it since.
Saturday, I took it into my Shop. The mechanic immediately came out and presurized the system and showed me the problem. He asked if It would be okay if he waited until today to fix it. I assured him that since I work graveyard, I have not needed the car, and he was welcome to take his time on it.
Today about 4 PM he called me. Let me know that the car was finished. He said he finished it in the morning, but hadn't called because he didn't want to wake me up.
I wouldn't have minded if he had called me in the morning, but it still made my day that he cared enough to hear what I said, and think about it.
Also helps that his bill was less than the quote. How often does that happen?
I don't think anyone could make this up:
United Press International - NewsTrack - Reality TV crew indicted for assault
I think someone should start a new reality show: "Reality Show Crews Gone Wild"
I have been noticing my political convictions weakening over the last several months. I am not sure what all of the factors are that contribute to this mellowing.
I suspect that it has something to do with Hebrews 12:1-3 Becoming a driving force in my life. Politics are a distraction. Even if the correct folks won every policy debate, this world would still be entangled in turmoil.
I believe that each of us have a risk tolerance in each area of our life. In finances, in relationships, in our health, etc. We tend to engage in every activity until the consequences become too scary. We are going to find a way to live on our edge. Politics and policies can change the consequences, but it doesn't really change the nature of the human. People are still going live dangerously, and they are still going to occasionally pay for their brinksmanship.
Christ paid the penalty for the sins of those who trust in him. This means you no longer have to be defined by the person who you have been, and the things you have done. Your debts have been paid, and you are no longer a slave to the tangled web that you have woven over the course of your life. See 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. You are a new creation, the old has gone, and the new has come!
The cool thing about faith we can experience the same risk, but with a much better consequence. For some people, staying sober feels like stepping off the ledge, and falling into the great unknown. Others may get this feeling from giving up the materialistic drive that defines them. Still others will get this adventure by putting their family in front of work on their priority list. Giving up any selfish priority in your life is an adventure, and God is inviting you to set out on that adventure. He is there to guide you and encourage you. One step at a time. Each step of obedience is an adventure, with all of the risk and reward that your spirit longs for. While we where once slaves to sin, we are now slaves to righteousness. See Romans 6:17-18
Why do we invest so much energy arguing about where the boundaries need to be? It doesn't matter where the boundaries are, people will test them, and people will be hurt by their risky lifestyle. Our endorsement or opposition of political solutions, often undermines our testimony regarding the true solution, which comes through reconciliation with God, one changed heart at a time.
Finally got around to trying Google Talk today. I like it. It is pretty no-frills. It is simply an instant messenger, with a audio component.
For years I had used yahoo as my primary IM. Lately their clients have become more and more bloated. Google talk is <1Meg to download and <2 meg installed.
I also like the fact that it saves the last part of your conversation. Today I tried it at home, took my laptop in and tried it at work, and my previous conversation was right there for me to reference.
Simple functionality.. I like it.
Yuck! This belongs in US magazine... Not on the sports page!
T.O.'s Party Guest List Includes NFL Stars - Yahoo! News
I feel a little creepy after reading this. Yech!
I am back. Have been in Portland for the last week, and have not had much time to blog.
Made the playoffs in fantasy football. I play in a "bragging rights only" league of my college buddies from University of Idaho. We have been playing for 7 or so years now, and I am usually in the hunt for the playoffs each year. When I make the playoffs, I have rarely done very well. I am hoping that my luck changes this year. Basically I have to hope that Carolina and Chicago keep winning so that the Seahawks can't rest their starters in the final weeks of the season.