As it turned out, the first facility that we beggared my grandmother to get her into, did not know how to handle Alzheimer's patients. So...we found one that did. A nice little group home with full time nursing and an expectation that the tenants would stay to the end of their days. They were lovely and my grandmother was happy there and was progressing peaceably, perhaps even cheerfully through the disease.
One morning, as she sat up in bed before going to breakfast, my grandmother suffered a stroke. Having spent her whole working life in a doctor's office, she knew what to do and signaled the staff who were amazing on the response. As this was a major event, however, it required immediate transfer to the hospital. Thus began nightmare number 2. What happens to the destitute in an overloaded, overpriced health care industry? It was NOT a pretty thing.
My grandmother's Day Nurse and PA were amazing!! Her doctor...not so much. I cut her slack as I am sure that as a doctor in public practice she is tremendously overloaded. To be sure I witnessed her on multiple days working shifts that have to have been 14-16 hours or more. Precious little of that was spent with my grandmother. The night nurses.....eeeyah...umph.
I joined my family on day two in the city where my folks reside and where the hospital is located. At this point, they were keeping my grandmother heavily sedated so they could do some basic treatment and assessments. I was told that there was substantial paralysis on the left side, but that she was apparently exercising quite the vocabulary on the staff when brought in ( I think I mentioned that an Alzheimer's patient handled improperly is frightened, unhappy and often belligerent). Certainly my sailor father was impressed with the both the depth and breadth of her terminology. They were hydrating with IV as strokes frequently disable the swallow reflex that keeps us from choking on our food and drink. They would wake her up every several hours to test her swallow reflex. We were playing a balance game. Go through the procedure to insert a feeding tube (not simple and quite stressful), or give her a bit of time to recover in hopes she could be fed by mouth. She is small and 88 years old, so they could not wait long to make a decision. So far so good.
Problem 1) Overloaded staff. The doctor was frazzled, the night crew seemed mainly interested in keeping the patients quiet so medicating/sedating was routine number one. Couple of problems with that. To begin, Morphine made grandma itch, which made her want to pull her tubes out. All of them. She was on massive, post-stoke anti-coagulants so this was extra dangerous in the case of the IV. Secondly, Morphine knocked her out completely. So, every time the doc came by to check her, it was early morning and she was sedated to the point of unresponsiveness. The doctor apparently never bothered to spend time (I can only cut her so much slack) to touch base with her own PA or the Day Nurse, so assumed that what she saw coming off the night shift was reality. It was not.
When my grandmother was not sedated, and once she had figured out what had happened and where she was, she was much herself. Her speech was largely unimpaired and there was no sign of cognitive impairment (beyond the native Alzheimer's). In fact, the PA and the Day Nurse both commented on what a pleasure she was to deal with. Full of stories about the depression era. Full of old songs which she was happy to sing to them and, as always, full of the snarky wit that we all know and love. The PA felt the morphine at night might be keeping her down far enough to affect the swallow tests and so he ordered that she be given no more morphine (she was not in pain and told us so). The overworked night crew ignored this. EVERY night. And the overworked doctor continued to not take time to find her staff and chat with them about what the actual status of the patient was.
Problem 2) The Real Deal Death Panels. The overworked staff who did not communicate between shifts nor, indeed within teams, led to the following events. On day three, after much browbeating by the family on the subject of my grandmother's actual status, the doc was talking about getting a temporary feeding tube put in to give her nutrition which might get her over the hump into more solid recovery. OK..all good, though really I don't think that the family should have to ride the medical staff (the experts we rely on) as hard as we did to get basic things taken care of.
Day 4. Grandma is running out of hospital time according to Medicaid. They MUST discharge her within the next couple of days. Net effect. The doctor is now recommending that we pull out the temporary feeding tube that we just got into her, as no facility to which she could be discharged will deal with them. Let me be crystal, icy clear here......The doctor is now recommending that we take a conscious, cognitive, communicative human being (she kept telling us exactly what she wanted) and STARVE HER TO DEATH because she/we could not afford the insurance required and Medicaid would not cover further hospital treatment. Tell me THAT is not a death panel Palinite lying assholes and defenders of the insurance industry!! And it already exists in our current system. Further, I believe it exists BECAUSE we do not have single payer healthcare. BECAUSE we are the only developed nation in the world which still believes that healthcare for profit is both adequate and humane.
S'cuse me...got a little hot there...but it still horrifies me and pisses me off that the system tried to starve my still aware, interactive and communicative grandmother to death. Over money. In no reasonable world is that either adequate "health care", or humane dignified treatment of any human being. And this is the system that the reform nay-sayers claim is hands down the best in the world.
To brighten the end of the tale... Fortunately, the Day Nurse and Discharge Nurse knew waaaayyyyy better than the doctor what resources were available. In, I believe less than 12 hours, they had arranged for an evaluation and transfer of my grandmother to an excellent facility which specialized in stroke treatment and rehabs. Interestingly, regarding the feeding tube, the facility rep said "Of course we can put in a permanent feeding tube! No problem, we do it all the time! In fact, we'll do it tomorrow morning." Thank the PTB for nurses!!! So to this day, though she cannot walk or grasp well with her left hand, my grandmother can enjoy her favorite beverage (Coca Cola) by mouth. She continues to join the singalongs and amuse the staff at her facility with her wit and stories.
As a final wrap up. Many of you saw Keith Olbermann's incredibly candid accounts of his father's final days. If you have not, you can find it on You Tube. I recommend it as a fine counterpoint. As K.O. said , it was bad for his family and they had all the money required to get the very best care available. Always. Now you have a story from the other end. Caveat Emptor, let the buyer beware. I think its time we stopped literally and figuratively "buying" into the system of "health care for profit", which victimizes us all in our extremities of health. Perhaps, instead it is time for us to invest in each other and ourselves and press our politicians to make some actual reform in our pathetically broken, inadequate and worse, inhumane, health care status quo.
Friday, October 14, 2011
My personal insurance/healthcare industry horror show - Pt.1 Alzheimers
I have now spent about a year closely entangled with our marvelous (where IS that dripping sarcasm font when I need it?) insurance and health care industry. I feel the need to share my experiences with you to add to your collection of real life stories when you consider the necessity for serious healthcare reform in the U.S.A. Let me preface with my own opinion that the pathetic, gutted excuse for "health care reform" commonly titled "Obamacare" is NOT reform. I personally view it as a codification into law of our enslavement to our current system of health care for profit. Let me also state that I feel strongly that NOTHING which is necessary for the general welfare of the populace should ever be done for profit, nor without serious accountability to those it serves (that's us). On-wards...
Alzheimer's runs in my family. Heavily on the maternal side. A couple of years ago, my family became aware that my maternal grandmother was suffering symptoms that could not be accounted for as "mere" dementia. At the same time, her partner, my maternal uncle, was suffering lung cancer. In a few short weeks we went from awareness of these conditions to the regrettable necessity of separating the couple so that each could receive what treatment was available. My great uncle died soon after. My grandmother however remained in sound health, her mental status notwithstanding. Alzheimer's requires some rather specialized handling and full time supervision. As we were all still working then, we had to find a facility for my grandmother that was qualified to handle Alzheimer's patients. Here, is where we had our first horrified entry into the world of health care for profit.
We found a facility that professed an expertise in Alzheimer's. Our first hurdle to that facility was dual. The five members of my family with responsibility for my grandmother (My parents, myself, my aunt and uncle) could not afford the $50,000 -$80,000 ANNUALLY to keep my grandmother in this facility. Further, my grandmother was not quite destitute ( though relying mainly on Social Security for subsistence) and so Medicare/Medicaid combo would not cover well...any of it. Nightmare number 1) Beggar ourselves to keep my grandmother properly cared for, or 2) somebody beggar themselves and their retirement by ceasing employment in order to care for her full time. Neither was appetizing, or really, viable. We are middle class BUT that does not mean what it used to.
On the sad but fortunate scale, our family problem is apparently so common that the billing folks at the facility have become extremely adept in advising families in similar situations on how to solve the problem. The solution is as appalling as the problem, and is simply this. They showed us the fastest way to completely deplete my grandmother's savings and holdings in order to place her at the level of poverty required to qualify for the Medicare/Medicaid assistance that would both allow her to get the care she needed, and allow us to both continue working and not have to find a vast sum of cash between us every year. In short it was necessary to make my grandmother a beggar in order to get her treatment without crippling the rest of the family into the same situation. Sick.
I found it entirely offensive that what little my grandmother had managed to save for her retirement and from a lifetime of productivity (small business employee, no pension), had to be liquidated in order to get the basic and needed care to make her remaining years pleasant (and believe me, an Alzheimer's patient in the wrong environment is a miserable, frightened person). Basic, human dignity and existence without fear and pain should be a basic human right in the wealthiest nation in the world.
Alzheimer's runs in my family. Heavily on the maternal side. A couple of years ago, my family became aware that my maternal grandmother was suffering symptoms that could not be accounted for as "mere" dementia. At the same time, her partner, my maternal uncle, was suffering lung cancer. In a few short weeks we went from awareness of these conditions to the regrettable necessity of separating the couple so that each could receive what treatment was available. My great uncle died soon after. My grandmother however remained in sound health, her mental status notwithstanding. Alzheimer's requires some rather specialized handling and full time supervision. As we were all still working then, we had to find a facility for my grandmother that was qualified to handle Alzheimer's patients. Here, is where we had our first horrified entry into the world of health care for profit.
We found a facility that professed an expertise in Alzheimer's. Our first hurdle to that facility was dual. The five members of my family with responsibility for my grandmother (My parents, myself, my aunt and uncle) could not afford the $50,000 -$80,000 ANNUALLY to keep my grandmother in this facility. Further, my grandmother was not quite destitute ( though relying mainly on Social Security for subsistence) and so Medicare/Medicaid combo would not cover well...any of it. Nightmare number 1) Beggar ourselves to keep my grandmother properly cared for, or 2) somebody beggar themselves and their retirement by ceasing employment in order to care for her full time. Neither was appetizing, or really, viable. We are middle class BUT that does not mean what it used to.
On the sad but fortunate scale, our family problem is apparently so common that the billing folks at the facility have become extremely adept in advising families in similar situations on how to solve the problem. The solution is as appalling as the problem, and is simply this. They showed us the fastest way to completely deplete my grandmother's savings and holdings in order to place her at the level of poverty required to qualify for the Medicare/Medicaid assistance that would both allow her to get the care she needed, and allow us to both continue working and not have to find a vast sum of cash between us every year. In short it was necessary to make my grandmother a beggar in order to get her treatment without crippling the rest of the family into the same situation. Sick.
I found it entirely offensive that what little my grandmother had managed to save for her retirement and from a lifetime of productivity (small business employee, no pension), had to be liquidated in order to get the basic and needed care to make her remaining years pleasant (and believe me, an Alzheimer's patient in the wrong environment is a miserable, frightened person). Basic, human dignity and existence without fear and pain should be a basic human right in the wealthiest nation in the world.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Public Union Logic Part 2 - Teachers
I have lacked the time to get back to this before now, but this is a continuation on the first post regarding public unions. The current concerted attack on public unions by the GOP and its Tea Party wing, is just a stepping stone for a larger attack on working Americans. We all know that governments on all levels, local to national are suffering terrible financial crises. This fact has been a major motivating factor in the pattern of the last two election cycles.
As it continues to be more and more difficult to meet basic needs, Americans are suffering and afraid. Well....most of us anyway. The exception would be the top one or two percent who are buying the services of our governments at all levels, local to national. Those folks are in better shape than they ever have been . The current income disparity in the US is the widest in our history. They also seem to have a pressing interest in ensuring that the US economy will continue to be structured to re-distribute wealth... Upward.... To them. The attack on the public unions is a keystone in this re-distribution plan.
As it continues to be more and more difficult to meet basic needs, Americans are suffering and afraid. Well....most of us anyway. The exception would be the top one or two percent who are buying the services of our governments at all levels, local to national. Those folks are in better shape than they ever have been . The current income disparity in the US is the widest in our history. They also seem to have a pressing interest in ensuring that the US economy will continue to be structured to re-distribute wealth... Upward.... To them. The attack on the public unions is a keystone in this re-distribution plan.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Suckerpunch Review
Suckerpunch...Yaaahh. Gonna throw out the minor spoiler alerts right off. Also going to put out the recommendation right off. Here it is:
Do not see this movie unless you are very VERY VERY high!!
Which is likely the state that Director turned writer and story man Zack Snyder and his co-writer Steve Shibuya were in during the writing and production of this movie. Seriously, and not in a good way.
Suckerpunch is the latest offering from director Zack Snyder. Previous efforts from Snyder include the film adaptations of the graphic novels "300" and "Watchmen", and the remake of "Dawn of the Dead". This is the first outing for him as both story creator AND writer (with Steve Shibuya) AND director.
Do not see this movie unless you are very VERY VERY high!!
Which is likely the state that Director turned writer and story man Zack Snyder and his co-writer Steve Shibuya were in during the writing and production of this movie. Seriously, and not in a good way.
Suckerpunch is the latest offering from director Zack Snyder. Previous efforts from Snyder include the film adaptations of the graphic novels "300" and "Watchmen", and the remake of "Dawn of the Dead". This is the first outing for him as both story creator AND writer (with Steve Shibuya) AND director.
Suckerpunch is the story of a young woman (Baby Doll) wrongly imprisoned in a mental institution by her evil stepfather. This occurs after the death of her young sister during Baby Doll's attempt to save said sister from rape/beating/murder (take your pick) by said evil stepfather. Naturally, the stepfather pays a corrupt orderly (who is apparently sexually abusing and perhaps prostituting the female inmates) to ensure that the girl will be lobotomized to further ensure that Stepfather will control her inheritance from her mother, and that she will be forever unable to testify against him. Baby Doll retreats from the exploitation environment of her Stepfather and the Asylum, to a fantasy world where she plans her escape from the institution.
Baby Doll's chosen fantasy land? A forced prostitution club where her almost supernatural (and mercifully never seen) ability to dance mesmerizes bad guys and transports her to secondary fantasies wherein she and several of her fellow prisoners don Katana's, heavy artillery and really cool but completely impractical corset and boots combos, to do everything from slaying dragons and orcs to slaying clockwork Nazi's. In each "mission" they gather certain items (from the mesmerized bad guys in fantasy world 1) which have been laid out for them by yoda..er Scott Glenn (perpetually spouting nonsense, cliche quotations) as necessary for their escape.
Of course, trials and tribulations ensue...and eventually an escape or two...kind of..
I had not read any reviews of the movie prior to viewing. I had barely seen a trailer in fact, so I was expecting a girl-power, anime inspired action flick. And I think that might have been what the creators were after. The first ten minutes, which were a brilliant piece of wordless, set to music, BEAUTIFUL story set up, gave me hope for a realization of the expectations and perhaps a bit more. Unfortunately they failed miserably. The entire movie was a sequence of very pretty but utterly nonsensical and completely unrelated fantasy action scenes, interspersed with positively painful sequences of "plot".
The intro leads one to expect an adventure of feminine self-empowerment with the added bennies of big guns and cool warrior-chick togs. One of my fellow sufferers informs me (she read reviews before hand) that it was in fact the intent of the creators to produce an exploitation style film that was not exploitation but empowerment instead. Again. Epic fail. There is, a pervasive miasma of misogyny throughout the movie and all of its settings. It is not quite 100% exploitation, but is close enough to be a turn-on for those who seek that kind of porn. However, since it is PG-13 there is no actual sex, so I suppose it fails in that vein as well. The overall message is that the best women can hope for is either learning how to live with exploitation, enslavement and violation, or a lobotomy to make one forget it.
We all came away rather confused and not at all sure what we thought. We did however agree that there were two features of the movie that were complete wins. Double thumbs up all the way around. The first is the sound-track, which is a wonderful collection of classic rock songs done up as thoroughly modernized covers. REALLY good! The other plus? Well, that is more subjective but we were all in agreement. REALLY awesome shoes! OK yes, girly perhaps. But then, it was a Girl's Night Out activity.
Final remarks. Snyder should stick strictly to adapting the work of others to the screen. He has amazing vision for, well, visuals. He should also stay away from the hallucinogenics, and finally, if he is straight, he should definitely get out and date more. He has NO idea what makes women tick. He does, however have great taste in soundtracks and shoes...hey wait a minute!...hmmmm.....OK I have to stop now before I get too much farther down that Freudian rabbit-hole.
Of course, trials and tribulations ensue...and eventually an escape or two...kind of..
I had not read any reviews of the movie prior to viewing. I had barely seen a trailer in fact, so I was expecting a girl-power, anime inspired action flick. And I think that might have been what the creators were after. The first ten minutes, which were a brilliant piece of wordless, set to music, BEAUTIFUL story set up, gave me hope for a realization of the expectations and perhaps a bit more. Unfortunately they failed miserably. The entire movie was a sequence of very pretty but utterly nonsensical and completely unrelated fantasy action scenes, interspersed with positively painful sequences of "plot".
The intro leads one to expect an adventure of feminine self-empowerment with the added bennies of big guns and cool warrior-chick togs. One of my fellow sufferers informs me (she read reviews before hand) that it was in fact the intent of the creators to produce an exploitation style film that was not exploitation but empowerment instead. Again. Epic fail. There is, a pervasive miasma of misogyny throughout the movie and all of its settings. It is not quite 100% exploitation, but is close enough to be a turn-on for those who seek that kind of porn. However, since it is PG-13 there is no actual sex, so I suppose it fails in that vein as well. The overall message is that the best women can hope for is either learning how to live with exploitation, enslavement and violation, or a lobotomy to make one forget it.
We all came away rather confused and not at all sure what we thought. We did however agree that there were two features of the movie that were complete wins. Double thumbs up all the way around. The first is the sound-track, which is a wonderful collection of classic rock songs done up as thoroughly modernized covers. REALLY good! The other plus? Well, that is more subjective but we were all in agreement. REALLY awesome shoes! OK yes, girly perhaps. But then, it was a Girl's Night Out activity.
Final remarks. Snyder should stick strictly to adapting the work of others to the screen. He has amazing vision for, well, visuals. He should also stay away from the hallucinogenics, and finally, if he is straight, he should definitely get out and date more. He has NO idea what makes women tick. He does, however have great taste in soundtracks and shoes...hey wait a minute!...hmmmm.....OK I have to stop now before I get too much farther down that Freudian rabbit-hole.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Public Union Logic
I spent a great deal of time a few nights ago tweeting with a gentleman who had brought himself to my attention by jumping on one of the folks I follow, demanding the logic behind public sector unions. My followee had responded with something to the effect of (paraphrased....loosely) " For the obvious reason. To reward those who want to give public service." I completely agreed with that sentiment. The gentleman however did not find that adequate and reiterated a desire for the "logic". The argument basically distilled, on my part (he wandered a bit to other subjects) to the concept of why Public employees not only deserve, but NEED to retain collective bargaining power.
After spending some increasingly frustrating time attempting to convey the argument in 140 character bits and pieces, I gave up and introduced myself to Twit Longer, a service ( to be used judiciously) which allows one to create a MUCH longer post that then links to Twitter. After producing the "tweet", I decided it pretty well encapsulated the argument and that it would, in fact make decent blog post. There are some modifications I have made to further flesh out my points because, well...its my blog, I have space if I wanna. What follows is the modified text of the umm....longer twit?....
After spending some increasingly frustrating time attempting to convey the argument in 140 character bits and pieces, I gave up and introduced myself to Twit Longer, a service ( to be used judiciously) which allows one to create a MUCH longer post that then links to Twitter. After producing the "tweet", I decided it pretty well encapsulated the argument and that it would, in fact make decent blog post. There are some modifications I have made to further flesh out my points because, well...its my blog, I have space if I wanna. What follows is the modified text of the umm....longer twit?....
"OK here it is. Public employees (except, arguably the elected ones) don't go into it to get rich. The legendary job security of the public sector is a myth, especially in this age of tax cuts (governments run mainly on taxes) and skyrocketing materials costs associated with explosive growth in places like China and India. Layoffs are as rampant as they are in the private sector.
Many of the jobs associated with public employment have more hazard and stress involved (we agree there). Some have VERY large potential consequences for failure, and I'm not talking just about police and fire. People die if the infrastructure is not working right as well. Most of the jobs of this nature, are also jobs that fall under collective bargaining groups, otherwise known as unions.
So, you have high stress/dangerous/"better NOT screw it up or people die" jobs. Those jobs, on average pay less than equivalents in the private sector, especially at state and local levels. Many state and local governments regularly lose really good people to private sector jobs. If as a society we want (and we do) really qualified good people to keep us safe, save our stuff and make sure our infrastructure works and does not kill us, there MUST be a way to attract and retain excellent people to do that. We have already established that money is NOT that method. Nor is job security. So you are asking people with high stress jobs, to do those jobs with no say over any aspect of their working conditions? Really?
Don't forget that we all owe the existence of things like safe working conditions, limited work weeks, pay for overtime and holidays, paid vacation (or even just the ability to take vacation and still have your job when you get back), to the unions. Many things we take for granted these days as normal, reasonable and expected in our employment environments came out of the union movement. Additionally, the types of public jobs we are discussing often involve very long hours, often in nasty conditions, with no regard for holidays, standard schedule, etc. All necessary to keep things running, all day every day, for the rest of us. To not allow those unions in the public sector basic rights that everyone else has, to bargain for their working conditions, is attempting to create a public sector slave class. Again, not the best way to attract the best people for important jobs.
I further elaborated that the main reason to preserve public sector bargaining power was to spare ourselves from the effects of having the important "Do NOT screw it up or people will die" jobs done by the people who would be willing to work constant 80 hour weeks in unsafe conditions for $5 an hour. Upshot. Cushy government employment conditions.....MYTH. Awesome cushy paychecks for cushy jobs.....MYTH. Legendary job security for cushy jobs and cushy pay.....MYTH. So what, exactly do we have to offer to entice people to do these important jobs (besides the increasingly rare basic desire to serve their fellow citizens, which should be rewarded in itself )? Really only the fact that they still have the ability to join together in a collective unit to bargain for how and under what conditions their difficult, critical, and often dangerous jobs are to be done.Taking away from public employees a last right that private employees still have, is only adding to the disincentive for the really good, really qualified people to opt for the lower pay and greater stress jobs. That equals less safety, security and general well being for all of us.That is my take on the subject, make of it what you will. :-)"
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Introduction - Or- Why am I doing this?
I have often been told that my manner of speaking is very "prosaic", and that I should write. I have been told this by people long in my life, as well as by those who have known me all of ten minutes in the movie ticket line. Further, my archetypal analysis which pegs me as a Teacher/Traveler also says that writing should be a key feature to my general health and well being. OK then. Significant lifelong input says I should write. All right...but write what?
Though an avid consumer of fiction, I can't really envision myself producing it. Poetry is all good but not really filling. Kind of like the appetizer course for my writing appetite. In Twitter I found an incredible, continuous stream of information and contact with the world. It is also a very useful exercise in succinct expression of thoughts and information. But again, I often feel like I want and need to say more. It occurred to me that I am also an avid consumer of blogs. And here I may have found a good match for the directive/desire to write, and a medium which suits my style and tendencies in length. So blog it shall be.
One of the major features of my personality is that I am interested in "everything", or nearly so (no matter how hard I try I just cannot muster any enthusiasm for golf). Another feature is that I am amply endowed with opinions on nearly all of the nearly everything that interests me. I thought a blog would be a good forum to blather out those opinions, and so I shall.
Undoubtedly a large portion of the content of this blog will be political in nature. Over the past few years, I have found myself more and more engaged in following politics. I have also frequently found myself more and more outraged by the developments I see in that sphere. Especially here in the US. Very recently, I find myself overwhelmed with a need to take a more active roll. Some of that is contribution$, some is participation in petition and letter campaigns. I imagine that some of it will be protests. And I have no doubt some of it will be whatever contribution I can make through this blog.
There is however, so much more in the world to write about. An anthropologist by nature and training, historian also, and general cultural omnivore; I find myself frequently spending a good deal of head time on things I see around me every day. This seems like a nice place to put those ruminations. Some are quite serious, but some will also (I hope) be funny. I hope all will be interesting and informative...to someone besides myself. Grin.
Whatever the case, please consume and enjoy, or not, as you please.
Though an avid consumer of fiction, I can't really envision myself producing it. Poetry is all good but not really filling. Kind of like the appetizer course for my writing appetite. In Twitter I found an incredible, continuous stream of information and contact with the world. It is also a very useful exercise in succinct expression of thoughts and information. But again, I often feel like I want and need to say more. It occurred to me that I am also an avid consumer of blogs. And here I may have found a good match for the directive/desire to write, and a medium which suits my style and tendencies in length. So blog it shall be.
One of the major features of my personality is that I am interested in "everything", or nearly so (no matter how hard I try I just cannot muster any enthusiasm for golf). Another feature is that I am amply endowed with opinions on nearly all of the nearly everything that interests me. I thought a blog would be a good forum to blather out those opinions, and so I shall.
Undoubtedly a large portion of the content of this blog will be political in nature. Over the past few years, I have found myself more and more engaged in following politics. I have also frequently found myself more and more outraged by the developments I see in that sphere. Especially here in the US. Very recently, I find myself overwhelmed with a need to take a more active roll. Some of that is contribution$, some is participation in petition and letter campaigns. I imagine that some of it will be protests. And I have no doubt some of it will be whatever contribution I can make through this blog.
There is however, so much more in the world to write about. An anthropologist by nature and training, historian also, and general cultural omnivore; I find myself frequently spending a good deal of head time on things I see around me every day. This seems like a nice place to put those ruminations. Some are quite serious, but some will also (I hope) be funny. I hope all will be interesting and informative...to someone besides myself. Grin.
Whatever the case, please consume and enjoy, or not, as you please.
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