I Wonder What Would Have Happened.....

I have a confession to make:
My name is Meg, and I am a National Public Radio addict.

There.
I've said it - well, written it.

But like most addictive substances, mine has turned on me.
The news and information network that as recently as yesterday touted itself on my local channel (KWMU 90.7) as the best source for "balanced" and "fair" (and no, I am not putting words in their mouths) stories has fired one of their own for supposedly violating their "ethics". 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20101021/cm_yblog_upshot/npr-fires-juan-williams-for-muslim-remarks-on-fox

What they've really done is fired one of their own for upholding the ethic of honesty.

Now, most people who know me know I think I have a pretty highly developed sense of "fair".  Being honest, and then getting fired for it, does not seem fair to me.

Juan Williams said he gets nervous.

I believe him.

I believe he gets nervous when he has to fly with people who are, as he describes, dressed in such a fashion as to put their (possibly radicalized) religious beliefs out there as the first and foremost impression they make.

In the very real, terrorist-filled world we inhabit today, it's an honest feeling.

He did not say he hates them.  He did not say he wants them to go away, or stop flying, or dress differently.  He did not say he, or anyone else, should take any action on his feeling.

He gets nervous.

That's all he said.

And that bastion of "balance", the fortress of "fair".....

fired him.

For admitting he gets nervous.

Now, I'm not a Muslim.  For that matter, I am not a Jew and I'm not even a practicing Catholic.  

But here's what I wonder:

1)  What if Juan Williams had said he gets nervous when he has to fly with people who wear traditional clothing identifying them as Hasidic Jews?

2)  What if Juan Williams had said he gets nervous when he has to fly with people who carry Bibles and have tee shirts identifying them with (possibly radicalized) evangelical Christian groups?

Well, I'm going to go out on a big ole thick, sturdy, solid rock of a branch here and say:

1)  Williams would have been fired - because Jews, like Muslims, are off-limits for any kind of negative comment in the politically-correct world.

2)  Williams would have been promoted - because, while it is rabidly unacceptable to give even the appearance of negativity when discussing Jews or Muslims, the constant drumbeat of Christian-bashing has become a defacto bylaw of the popular liberal media.

What Mr. Williams deserves is an abject apology from NPR and a reversal of their decision to fire him.

What NPR deserves is to have to fund their operations 100% on their own - as other radio stations and networks do.

What NPR does not deserve is one dime of support from me unless and until they admit their hypocrisy and issue said apology.

Oh, I'll still listen. 

I'm an addict, remember?

I'll just use their skewed logic and decide that while I will continue to listen to their broadcasts, giving them any financial support in return would violate some kind of "ethics".

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Not Socrates, But Still...

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"Just waking up every morning is not the same thing as living."
Meg Dunn
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"The unexamined life is not worth living."

..
Socrates was right.
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Martyrdom

Had an email chat with a friend this morning about her troubled relationship with her mother.
(NOT that I have any experience with that sort of thing!)
And, as has happened in the past, I was gifted with a response that I was fortunate enough to share:
"Laying down your life for your friend is only holy when you don't feel resentment for it afterward."
Women are all too likely to "do" more than their share - in ALL of their relationships - until, I think, they reach a certain age.  Some start setting more boundaries and putting aside time for themselves.  They replenish their own souls in order to be better friends, lovers, wives, daughters... just better people.
But some others, some moms, bypass that stage altogether and fast-forward to "it is just all about me".
Well, as Eleanor Roosevelt said so eloquently, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
And no one can force you into accepting a relationship on their terms without your consent.
That's my opinion.
And I am thankful for the gift of words with which to express it.

There's No Fool Like a Rhubarb Fool

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New favorite indulgence:
Rhubarb Fool.

Don't ask me why they call it a "fool". 

Don't know; don't care.

Quite possibly, though, it's because you can make one out of yourself eating too much of this yummy, yummy dream of a summer delight.

One pound of fresh rhubarb stalks, cleaned of leaves 
(about 9-10 stalks which comes to about 4 cups chopped up into 1/2 inch cubes)

One cup sugar

Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

2 tablespoons of water

Bring this all to a boil in a covered saucepan. 
Then uncover and simmer on low for about 8-9 minutes so the rhubarb gets soft.

Cool it.

Puree in a food processor until smooth.

Chill in the fridge until thoroughly, thoroughly cold.

Meanwhile, whip 3 cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks form.

Fold the rhubarb into the whipped cream gently but near to completely, leaving some streaks.

Serve cold (in clear stemware for extra "wow!" appeal).

Ahh.

The perfect taste of summer.

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When Does the Next Bubble Burst?

First it was the "Tech Stock Bubble", wreaking havoc on the stock market and, thus, our economy near the end of the last century.

Then came the "Housing Bubble", and it's inevitable burst wreaked havoc - again - on our economy only this time it didn't stop with us.  The "bubble" burst all over the globe and we're all still reeling from it.

Which has me wondering about the next "bubble".

And I'm thinking it's the "Entitlement Bubble".

Because there is one common element, one thread that runs through all three of these scenarios:

People thinking that they can just keep riding a gravy train, and that it will go on forever.

Think about it.

The tech stocks were so hot they were flying. 

People were making money hand-over-fist.

And they thought it would go on forever.

And then it didn't.

And the economy tanked.

And all of America suffered because of it.

Then the housing market took off. 

House prices (those so-called "values") took off.  Real estate went sky-high.

And people thought it would go on forever.

And then it didn't.

And the global economy is tanking, largely due to this one ghastly bubble.

And now we have an "Entitlement Bubble". 

Medicare.  This "entitlement" is money you didn't necessarily pay in but that pays out for your healthcare.  And once you're on it, you're on it.  You're "entitled" to it.

Medicaid.  This "entitlement" is more money you didn't pay in, but which pays out for that part of your healthcare that Medicare doesn't.

Unemployment insurance.  Now you can get unemployment for 99 weeks.  ALMOST TWO YEARS!  You are, after all, "entitled" to it.  Sit on your a@@ for two solid years and collect money for nothing.  Go on, you're "entitled".

Lifestyle subsidies like governtment-funded daycare for children of parents who can't - or won't - afford them.  Free cellphones for those already receiving government subsidies of one or more variety.  Too "depressed" to go to work?  Get SSI Disability!  You're "entitled" to it!

Housing bailouts.  This is money you're supposedly "entitled" to if you were so stupid you thought you could affford a $300,000 house when you bring home $28,000 a year.  You made a bad deal, dude!  Oh, but wait!  You're "entitled" to your house, whether you can realistically afford it or not, so the government is stepping in with your bailout -- making the bank refinance your loan at a lower sales price, or a lower interest rate, or letting you out of your bad deal with no strings attached and no bad credit rating.  After all, you shouldn't really have to pay any penalty for your stupidity or greed.  You're "entitled" to be stupid, and greedy.

But my question is...

What happens when we all finally figure out there is no more money left with which to pay out all of these "entitlements"?

What happens when the money-for-nothing bubble bursts?

What happens when we all choose to be "entitled" to money earned by someone else, only there's no more someone elses?

What happens then?
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It Ain't About "Happy"

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I had a chance to spend an evening with a really good friend last week.  Such times are too, too rare, and almost always too, too wonderful!

My friend is currently out of work.
She's worried, but not panicking.  Not yet.

Of course, the worry and her situation were the prime topic of our conversation. 

We did the usual - blaming the economy.  We brainstormed a couple of strategies for her to try.  We talked a lot about working and "careers" and, well, life in general.

And I was completely blown away when she shared, in a pretty emotional moment, how she just wanted to know when she'd be able to stop "struggling" so hard.  "Struggling".  That was her word.

She went on to explain it wasn't that she wanted life to be all peaches and cream, she wasn't asking for the moon, and she wasn't even asking (and this is the blowing-away part) to be "happy". 
She just wanted peace.

And my jaw dropped.

I've been saying this (to myself) for a couple of years.
It ain't about being happy.
It's about finding peace.

There are plenty of happy people out there. 
Happy has it's moments, and it's place, don't get me wrong.
Happy can come on in; I don't turn it away.

But that feeling of real peace?
Hmmm.  Not so much.

Have we, as a culture, gotten so accustomed to the frantic, techno-driven, see-it/buy-it/consume-it/dispose-of-it, everythingistemporary turmoil that passes for "happy" that we've totally abandoned a quest for calm, tranquility and that higher plane of peace?

Are we settling for some perverted distortion of "happiness" because we think it can be found in a store?
In a bottle?
In a gadget?
In another place to be, another thing to do?
In a pricier car, or a bigger house?

Or have we turned to all of those faux sources of "happy" because they are (or were) attainable while that darned peacefulness we crave is so elusive?

Which came first?

Ah, no matter.

Within a scant 48 hours of that evening with my dear friend, I found myself sitting at the kitchen table of another - albeit much more recent - acquaintance.

As we talked about a project we are considering entering into together we wove into and out of tales from our lives and our experiences.  We shared some great ideas.

And one of hers was how she felt she was finally on a path towards true peace, beyond just happiness.  Those were her words.

I know!

Unprompted.
Unscripted.
This has got to be more than a mere coincidence.

Maybe our economic woes are reaping an unexpected cultural benefit.

Could it be that, as we get priced out of more and more of those "things" that we thought were the sources of so much happiness, we find instead the absolute bliss of some peace?
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Don't Live Every Day As If It's Your Last

I don't know when it was that I started really disliking it when people say "I live every day as if it is my last".

Really??

You live every day telling your egomaniacal control-freak of a boss to piss off and going to the beach instead of working like the rest of us?
You live every day surrounded by your closest family and friends, telling them how much you love them and making hours upon hours of wonderful memories instead of dropping the kids off at school or catching up with your friends by phone or email or FB because they, like you, are really busy?
You live every day packing up extraneous crap that you can't even remember buying anymore and paring down your surroundings to only that which truly brings you joy, because, frankly, you don't want to leave cleaning out that mess to someone you love?
You live every day making sure your will is up-to-date and no one is going to feel slighted?

Oh, of course you don't!!
But you could live every day in the sure and certain knowledge that you have a deadline. 
You have an expiration date. 
Your today, while not your last, is one of a finite number.  There will be a "last" day, just as there was a "first" day.

So I say DON'T live every day as if it is your last. 
You need your job.
You really don't want to surround yourself with all the people you cherish 24/7.  At least not for long.
You need to keep building your life - and that's how you fully live it.
Live every day knowing you have a deadline.
 
Think of it this way:  time is going to pass whether you are active or passive.
One year from now will arrive, whether you've moved in a forward direction in your own life, or not.
So what's it going to be?
Your last day?  Just another day?  Or quite possibly a best day?
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This Is a One-Question Poll

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One question, yes/no:

http://world-news.newsvine.com/_question/2010/05/12/4274124-do-you-support-arizonas-tough-new-law-on-illegal-immigration

If you don't vote, don't bitch.

AASAG - It Really Does Exist

I've written before about the "American Attention Span of a Gnat"....

Well, science, it seems, backs me up.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127370598

One last hurrah for books....

Sometimes it really is the little things.  Peace.

New Favorite Bread Recipe

 
Well, not so much a recipe as a guideline.....

1 and 1/2 lb loaf setting, basic, light crust

1 and 1/4 C room temp water
3 T or so non-fat dry milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 T veg oil
1/2 C bread flour
1/2 C wheat bran
1    C whole wheat flour (generous cup)
1/4 C rolled oats (again, generous)
1/4 C corn meal
1    C (overflowing cup) Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain B'fast Cereal
3  T  honey or molasses or brown sugar or some combo of them
1  T  active dry yeast

Add in order to the bread machine.  At the beep or after the first knead/rest cycle (as in before the second kneading) add

3  T  raw unshelled sunflower seeds and
about a half-cup or so fresh alfalfa sprouts

Watch to make sure you don't need to add more flour or water -
the dough should (eventually) form a ball that doesn't crack
(too dry - add water by a teaspoon or less at a time and watch before adding more!)
or slump into a muddle and into the corners of the bucket
(too wet - add a tablespoon or so of bread flour and wait to see what happens before adding any more).

Let the machine once again take over.

This bread is so hearty and yummy toasted with cream cheese or in a pb and blackberry jelly sandwich!

Or plain!
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AASAG Strikes Again

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I recently bought the May 2010 issue of Woman's Day magazine, foolishly thinking I was purchasing a magazine of well-researched and thoughtfully written articles.
Sadly, when I got home and sat down to read, I instead found page after page of side bars.
Many, many sidebars.
A plethora of side bars.
Side bars next to other side bars instead of supporting an actual article on the same page.
Apparently the "twit"-ter mentality of 140 characters or less has permeated what one supposes is an  "editorial" staff and we, the readers, are supposed to just skim through tidbits of information --- because we lack the attention span to do otherwise???
Wrong.
Some of us in the real world still read.
We can follow a story, an idea or a theory through from beginning to end across several pages of actual text.
Yes, yes we look at the pictures (and find them immensely helpful in DIY projects and illustrating points).
But we want to actually read an article!
We want to be immersed in an idea. 
We want to go deeper than a headline.
We want a real magazine, damn it!

Alas, it appears - to this reader - that even the magazine of
"live well every day"
has succumbed to
The American Attention Span of A Gnat
(a.k.a. "The AASAG")
school of information dissemination.

And why not?

It has worked so well for politicians.
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What We Need vs What We Want

Wants vs. Needs.

It's the great debate being waged over many a kitchen table these days.  An entire generation of Americans has come face-to-face with the reality of prioritizing their needs over their wants, some for the very first time in their middle-aged lives.

Many of their children cannot fathom a difference between the two; if you want something, then you need it.  Right?

And, really, why should they think otherwise?

They grew up in a world where every passing fad was a "must-have".  Not a want.  Not even a reward for hard work and perseverence.  No, a "must-have".  The fashion ads shout it, the toy makers insist on it.  It's a "must", a "need"... so much more than a "want".

Our society is a spoiled brat, pining after the Wii as if fitness "must" be obtained by turning on the television as opposed to turning it off and taking a walk.  Our "must-have" mentality has brought us to the brink of disaster because our homes are filled with fifty-inch plasma screens upon which to view movies we wouldn't spend eight dollars to see at the theater, but for which we monthly shell out over a hundred dollars to flip through on our way to something "better" to watch.  Our McMansion driveways are cookie-cutter cluttered with Sport Utility Vehicles which see neither sporting or much utility beyond transporting us from point "A" to point "B".  Diamond "tennis bracelets", anyone?  IPod nano-second fad?  Laptops to notebooks to notepads?  Is your phone now smarter than you are?

And so it goes with our view of government.

We now "need" government to take over our healthcare?  Really?

Well, first of all, let's start using accurate words, shall we?  "The Government" doesn't want to take over your health care, per se, it wants to take over your health insurance.

The two terms are not, despite the talking heads on your six o'clock news and the so-called reporters in your local or even national newspapers, the same thing.  You could have the best "insurance" in the world, but if you have a heart attack in the middle of nowhere Nebraska, you are at the mercy of the Internist on duty in the E.D. of that twelve-bed hospital that may or may not have a cardiologist on call, and may or may not have a cath lab and may or may not be able to get you into it in time.  Your top-notch "insurance" does not always translate into state-of-the-art "care". 

"The Government" wants to take over your health insurance, and then, by default, once all insurance goes through "The Government", "The Government" will ultimately decide if you get health care, when, where, and by what level of trained professional.  Or not.

President Obama has declared that everything about healthcare has been said.

Well, Mr. President, you're wrong. 

I work in health care.

And I know for a fact that the health insurance as well as the healthcare delivery that "The Government" is already in charge of aren't working properly. 
So I have a lot of things to say about you coming after my health insurance, and then, ultimately, my care.

We all read the stories of the deplorable healthcare settings at Walter Reed Army Hospital. 
"The Government" is in charge of V.A. Hospitals, and "The Government" has completely dropped the ball.  Personally, I don't want the healthcare delivery "The Government" has been providing to the brave men and women of our armed forces.  They, and I, deserve better.

I know for a fact that there is at least one Medicare recipient out there who has gotten a hospital bed at home, a trapeze bar attachment, and a vacuum erection device - all paid for by "The Government"'s health insurance. 

The man is sick enough to need a hospital bed at home.  He's apparently weak enough to need a trapeze bar attached to the bed in order to change positions.

And he needs "The Government" to pay for his vacuum erection device?  If Grandpa is that sick, maybe getting his freak on just doesn't fall under the heading of "healthcare", at least not "care" for which taxpayers foot the bill.

What's next?  Latisse for Grandma?  I mean, come on, maybe she wants to bat those baby blues!

Ahh.  "Wants" to. 

An elderly member of my own family recently got a wheeled walker. 

She could easily have afforded the eighty-something dollars it cost retail. 

But she got it for "free"! 

Why?

Because she has insurance from "The Government".  So why would she "want" to pay for it?

Every person reading this knows someone who is either already on, or has applied for, Medicare disability.  And most of us know the person is not truly "disabled".  But they'll get "The Government" to pay them anyway.  We all know it.  Google "Medicare Fraud".  If you have a couple of days of spare time on your hands to read the thousands of results.

And, Mr. President, let's visit the very word "health" for a moment.

Our country's very own Supreme Court has defined "health" to include emotional and financial "health" (see Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton) conditions.

So will "The Government" now be making sure my emotional and financial conditions are what I want them to be?  Hmmmmm.  How interesting is that?

And doesn't good "health" start with clean air, safe water, untainted food and shelter from the elements?

So will "The Government" now be in charge of making sure we have clean air, safe water, untainted food... oh, wait.

"The Government" is already in charge of that stuff.

And we've seen what a great job "The Government" has done with that.

Mr. President, "The Government" is not the answer.  I know you don't want to hear that.  I know you think nothing more needs to be said about healthcare - I believe those were your exact words.

But you are wrong.

Much, much more needs to be said about health insurance and healthcare delivery.

This country may, in fact, need health insurance reform.

But this American does not want "The Government" to enact a coup to seize control of another 17% of the GDP (Forbes.com).

Because you are not being honest about one simple thing, Mr. President: 
WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING TO COME FROM?

There are only so many dollars available to pay for health care.  There are only so many trained professionals to deliver the care.  There are only so many dollars available to build state-of-the-art facilities, and with which to equip them all with state-of-the-art technology.  If you live within a major metropolitan area, you will have access to state-of-the-art care simply by being in the vicinity of teaching institutions and trauma centers.  If you experience an emergency, you will be taken to the closest one whether you have health insurance or not. 

But if "The Government" controls ALL of the health insurance, then guess who we pay ALL of our health insurance premiums to (in the form of outlandish taxes)???

"The Government" has already proven that it cannot deliver even adequate, much less superior, health care (unless every veteran I know is lying about V.A. Hospitals, and I don't think they are). 

"The Government" has already shown that it's bloated, out-of-control health insurance plan (Medicare) is rife with fraud and destined to go broke without a massive influx of cash (taxes).

"The Government" demonstrates over and over again that it promises what we all know it can never deliver (and here I'm talking again about that clean air/safe water thing, not just the mail).

And lest we forget this one point:  "The Government" has NEVER spent YOUR MONEY quite as wisely as it promised to, now has it?

This American can simply not afford to pay the financial price of what "The Government" wants.

I need you to start paying attention, Mr. President.  WE need you to listen, even when you think we, the people, have said too much in opposition to what you want.
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Netflix

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Am I the only one that's noticed the Netflix commercials not-too-subtle gender bias?

Seriously.

Watch the commercials, and you'll see, like, 7 or 8 single women "testimonials", and one couple, and one family.  And, perhaps, one (fairly dorky looking) single guy.

So, is this just representative of their customer base?  Or are they trying to portray themselves as the "single chick's" entertainment source?  Who's the demographic?

Just wondering.

New Way to Approach Stupid Sales Clerks

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O.k., retail sales jobs are not the easiest in the world.

And the pay is, arguably, lousy.

And so it is that the employer often gets exactly what they pay for.

How many times has this happened to you:  You peruse a sale ad for, say, Walgreens.  And you decide you want to get that el-cheapo toaster for $7.99.

Within a half-hour or so, you're at a Walgreens.

And you can't find the toaster aisle.

So you hunt down a clerk.

And you ask, very politely, where you'll find the toaster advertised in their weekly sales ad.

And the sales clerk, in all seriousness, asks if you have the ad with you or says they'll go get a copy of the ad if you'll just wait right there for them.

Now, I ask you - what in the hell do you need the freaking ad for? 

Will the ad tell you what aisle it's in?

So that's my response from now on, whenever some unbelievably stupid sales clerk says they need to see the item in the ad before they can actually help me find it..... 
"Will the ad tell you what aisle it's in?"

Yes, Mr. Walgreens Manager, I'm talking to you.

Freakin' moron.
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My New Saying

 Here's my new saying for all the whiners:   "PUT A BINKY IN IT!"

Thinking about getting some tee-shirts made up.  Or bumper stickers.  Or something.

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Well, I'm Not Dead

Just got home from the hospital late night before last....


Seems my gallbladder has been making stones for some time now, and one of the little bastards decided to block up my bile duct, which then sent my gallbladder into hyperdrive and eventually into spasms, which then spewed the fricking stone into my pancreas, which then got all (and, yes, this is a direct quote from the hospitalist) "pissed off at" me, causing my lipase enzymes to read out at ....

wait for it....

("lipase" is a pancrease enzyme)...

and keep in mind...

"normal" lipase #s are,

for adults,

between 18 and 180....

and as of last Friday

(January 22)

mine were...

are you sitting down???

ta da...

8,348.

It was, apparently, a potentially life-threatening situation as, I was told later, people do actually die of pancreatitis when their numbers are that high. Who knew?

So, I guess going to the ER was the right thing to do.

Even for a hard-headed B* like me.

So, here I am at home again (thank you, God!! soooo good to be home!) on some kickin' A pain meds and waiting for the five holes in my belly to heal up.

Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

And today, I just gotta rest, take my meds, chill, and say a big, huge, freaking, long overdue "I can never thank you enough" thank you, thank you, thank you to all of the people who have put up with me over years and months... and tell you how much I love you and miss you and I really truly am going to make a better effort to keep in touch and get together.

So, I love you and I miss you and let's get together when I can, again, o.k.???
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SFPs and their behaviors....

I live in a condo.


We have assigned parking.




The person who is assigned my mirror spot is a Selfish Fucking Pig (aka SFP).

Here's the proof.

Ah.  The sad, warped, self-absorbed world of the SFP. 

SOOooooo glad I live in my head, not hers!!
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Snow Days

There's this funny thing that happens in St. Louis every time the weather forecasters predict snow:

The grocery stores get bombarded by shoppers buying milk, bread and eggs. 

I'm not kidding.

Maybe it happens in other parts of the country, too.  But here in St. Louis it's like some kind of weird tradition or something. 

Who knew that French Toast is, apparently, the only food that will safely see you through a blizzard????

So, all day yesterday the forecast was for a huge snowstorm - up to six inches of snow, which is huge for St. Louis.  (Chicago, Milwaukee and upstate New York:  I know you're laughing at this.  Keep it to yourselves.)

And, true to form, the grocery store parking lots were packed last evening as I was leaving work and heading home.  I did not participate in the pre-snow stock-up.  I just wanted to get home!

We did get our storm.

And I did stay home today.  Roads were wicked snow-packed and I chose to be safe rather than sorry.

Now I am left with only one question:

If you are going to be home all day, especially if you have a house full of kids who now have a snow day off from school, isn't a big supply of toilet paper going to be at least as essential as milk, bread and eggs?

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