Growing concern

At the hospital we are constantly battling the difficult task of serving the bariatric patient population. This morning as I processed invoices and drew up reqs on new in-ceiling lift systems I just got to thinking about obesity as a problem in the U.S., not just mid-Missouri so I ran a quick news search. Turns out that we aren’t the only country facing this issue.

Here are just a few of the articles that immediately came up on a very simple search. Check out those New Zealanders pulling a MO Medicaid bit. I have sincere sympathy for much of the obese population, but honestly, I think it’s crazy when state-funded insurance pays for gastric bypass but not appropriate care for a quadriplegic. (Trust me when I say you don't want me to get started on a healthcare tangent again so let's move on.)

The Obesity Battle Goes On from the Post

Exercise doesn’t prevent childhood obesity from the UK

Exercise Plan for pre-schoolers aimed to prevent childhood obesity from Sri Lanka

Hundreds to get tax-payer funded stomach stapling from New Zealand

Anyway, this bit and thinking about Huckabee as a real contender for the VP slot on McCain’s ticket prompted me to give those of you non MySpace readers a look at an old blog. Here’s your encore presentation from a March 12, 2008 post:

Do you Heart Huckabee today?
Posted on My Space 3-12-08

If you do Heart Huckabee or if you’re just interested in listening to him he will be delivering the following lecture: "Ethics Surrounding the Future of Medical & Health Care" Thursday, March 13th, 7:30p.m. at Columbia College.

Per the event organizer, Huckabee was asked to present this year’s Schiffman Ethics in Soociety lecture prior to ever announcing a bid for presidential candidancy. Additionally, it is noted that the primary reasons for asking him to speak were "his personal experience with weight loss and his national recognition as a leader on health care, education and energy issues."

I’ve read that the lecture focuses on whether or not it is a moral issue to keep yourself healthy. I could guess what Huckabee is going to say; I could skip step interval and cardio strip tease to actually hear what he has to say (yeah, I know who am I trying to kid with that one?); instead, I’m going to share my once again very scattered and incomplete thoughts (it’s late people.)

Yes, I think we have a moral obligation to insure our individual health, and I warn you I am admittedly gearing up for some pontification. It will be short though I’m sleepy and discombobulated about various things (hence the need for a little blog distraction even if it is just adding to my discombobulation on some level.)

Honestly, I’m not certain that there is any individual factor that more greatly impacts our overall health (physical, emotional, mental and dare I say even spiritual) than the food and other miscellaneous products that we put into our bodies. Not only do poor dietary choices lead to some of the major causes of death: heart disease, high blood pressure and the all-encompassing diabetes that leads to everything else under the sun (trust me I work in a hospital, and I think if diabetes did not exist the building would be half its size), but they mentally and emotionally fatigue us as well. People that like to "comfort eat" are really just doubling the size of their problems both literally and figuratively, as those extra fatty calories are going to result in weight gain, which results in lower quality overall health.

So let’s think about it this way (assuming that all people want to live): People require sustenance to live. Not all sustenance promotes living. People require sustenance that promotes life.
That said, before I really start to preach on nutrition I want to stop just because I should before I drive myself and you crazy and also to make it clear that I am not claiming to be perfect. It’s obvious that I have my unhealthy vices, but I try to make the most nutritionally conscience choices the majority of the time, not just to counteract the times when I allow myself the indulgences, but to actually feel healthy in every way possible. I feel physically ill and emotionally unsound after I consume high fat or processed foods (hydrogenated oil is practically plastic.) Anyway, I digress…

While I believe in helping other people, I am also sincerely committed to individual responsibility. Perhaps if there was a greater emphasis on the individual insuring his or her own health through sound nutrition and lifestyle choices and other preventative care, we would not be in the healthcare crisis that we are today. We owe it to ourselves and each other to be healthy. Our country is a population ridden with healthcare woes, and the system in place to address those woes is a mess thanks to many factors, including our government’s role to help protect the big money corporations that masquerade as insurers of our health, and that is what I believe I will be blogging about tomorrow or the day after (we’ll see what my schedule is like as it’s not every night that I feel like blogging at 1:00a.m.)

So, I’ll be having spinach tomorrow as usual :)

(Sigh²) Here I succumb

A couple of my "friends" completely blow. Letting go of the anger and sadness today though. Dancing it out to a little Ben Kweller and The Strokes and turning my face toward the sunshine. Pensive and wishing I was at home.

Here, I am forced to suppress the desire to violently undress you.

Here, I envision myself impressed by your hands, larger than mine.

Here, I close my eyes and calculate the distance, tip to tip, from index finger to thumb, nearly encircling at the smallest point of my waist.

Here, I am exponentially aware of my thighs tensed as I visually outline the perfect lines and musculature of your abdomen.

Here, I envision my ankles interlocked low, at your sacrum...

Here, I am forced to suppress the desire to violently undress you.

Back to work.

Veeping up the mess

Nah, I'm not talking German on house chores, but I am a little late weighing in on the potential VP candidates for this election. So I started this about two and a half weeks ago and just never got around to finishing it, and I don't think that I ever will (lots of work at home and in the office as well as lots of dance practice hours in addition to regular Studio time.) Additionally, let it be noted that I am full-on admitting to being a news and politics slacker since then as I seriously am just so stinking overwhelmed with all else and so disappointed with the prez candidates that I'm a bit apathetic towards it all. That said, I ask that you take into consideration my thoughts are presumably outdated; I'll try to catch up this weekend.

Obama picks? Clark, Biden, Webb
McCain picks? Huckabee, (dare I say) Romney, Pawlenty

Okay, these peeps are not necessarily who I think the boys will choose to veep it up, but they are folks that I think could offer something to their respective tickets.

Clark is smooth, a retired general, a Rhodes scholar with education in Politics, Philosophy & Economics and respect from many for his military service, thus deflecting a bit of the sure-to-come anti-military nonsense that McCain will be hurling at Obama. Additionally he was a huge supporter of Clinton so there's potential for Obama to win some Clinton fans over with Clark. It doesn't hurt that he's a white man since Obama could use a little help in the white male demo.

Personally, I rather liked Biden when he initially threw his hat into the presidential ring, but just like the other two dems I preferred (Gravel and Kucinich) he didn't have a chance. For Obama though he could fill the foreign policy void. Not only does he have the chairmanship of the Senate for Foreign Relations Committee, but he has often been rather outspoken with regard to achieving political reconciliation in Iraq via decentralizing power among the country's warring factions. When it comes to foreign policy, where dems are concerned, Biden is it; the guy knows his stuff. Again, he should be able to help with the white male demo, specifically those ol' Irish-American roots should facilitate a good rapport with the white working class. I haven't heard a lot of buzz on Biden aside from one of my friends mentioning him. I think perhaps, Obama thinks he is lacking the articulation factor, but it's his ability to interact with the working class that makes him appealing. His special little add-in: he teaches a regular seminar on constitutional law (I know a couple of people up for the big title that could maybe use some help in this area.)

Like Clark, Webb would offer some military cred to the ticket. Obama has said that Washington is the problem so Webb's young service in Congress compliments this stance. Again, he too, would help with white voters, specifically rural voters, and would offer the opportunity for Virginia to actually come into play. Of course, because of the Virginia thing I don't think he's a very likely choice as the dems don't want to risk their chance to have two dem Senate seats in VA.

I also have to just make a quick mention of Brian Schweitzer. Although lacking the physical charm of Clark he too, is smooth, a bit of a cowboy that tells it like it is. He spent several years in Saudi Arabia as well as other countries overseas which gives him some credibility on international affairs. He has quite a bit of experience and respect for his work on energy issues.

I know there are some people out there that just won't let the Hillary thing go, but I just don't think for one second that he would pick her, and if he did, he'd be an idiot (I'm not going to waste my time or your's going into detail here.) I know there are also some people that think he should just pick any woman, and that then he would get all of the Hillary supporters behind him. Several people are talking Sebelius. Some have even mentioned MO's own McCaskill. Neither of these is happening either. If anyone is going to sway the female vote by picking a female running mate, it's McCain, and I don't think he'll do it either.

Let's see though…on Huckabee, I don't particularly <3 Huckabee, but the guy is a good speaker. He would definitely make the evangelical population happy, but he would likely disappoint the conservatives rooted in economic and foreign policy. Just like I think Webb will help Obama in VA I think Huckabee would help McCain there as well as in NC and OH.

Romney, again, although his Mormonism is not popular with conservative evangelicals he is still seen as a representative of Christianity so that will help a bit (at least if trying to sway some dems or fence-riders away that are afeared of Obama's satanic Muslim beliefs [rolls eyes].) He has a record of economic crisis management (hey are we in one of those?) He too, has the ability to do well in OH as well as FL and a ton o' those western states (minus Cali.)

Mr. Pawlenty is perhaps McCain's Quayle (yuck), but the good there is that he's young, with an attractive enough family. With the jokes about McCain's age overflowing, a young hockey-playing veep would offer some balance against the young Barack. He's been a big McCain supporter from the get-go, but with strict conservatives that already worry about McCain, I think a Pawlenty choice has the potential to cause further concern as he is often viewed as a bit left-leaning as far Republicans go. He is majorly anti-abortion though and has a following in the blue-collar crowd.

I've heard some mention of McCain being bold enough to pick his dem buddy Lieberman to attempt to procure some dem votes. I really don't think he'd do this. If he did, I don't think he'd see a real reward on the dem side, and he sure as hell would piss the conservatives off with that one. Will he pick a woman? I doubt it but have heard mention of Sarah Palin. She is a major church-going pro-lifer and member of the NRA, but I just don't see it happening. Lastly, I sorta see Portman's name next to McCain's, although he may not be a "big" enough name. In fact, it's his low-level of name recognition that kept him out of my top three list because honestly I think as far as economics go he has more to offer than Romney. He also has the potential to help out in OH and FL. He has worked at the economic, diplomatic, legislative and executive levels. He's younger without being a green newbie in the politics game.

Regardless of whom either gentleman picks to share their respective campaign sign space, I very much agree with something my friend recently wrote

(Veepstakes) and that is that for once the VP candidates are going to really matter. I don't think that I'm the only person out there that's disappointed in our lackluster presidential candidates, and let's face it a VP is only one breath, one heartbeat away from being the next president. I think that we need to care about these candidates as well. Additionally, it's often the case that a VP runs for presidential office down the road. These people have the potential to represent their parties over the course of two decades. Let's hope the boys find a way to balance selection not just by who will help them get elected but also by who will help them successfully govern.

(Sigh) Sometimes

Sometimes
when you are not here
and when I confuse
the cadence of your steps
with my breathing;
when so softly
your hands climb
on the sunny side
of my shoulders' hills
and I try
to meet them
in the stillness
of your non-presence;
when soaring
with the creeping silence
hangs
the echo of your voice -
then I am more than clear
it does not matter
where you are.

I had such a lovely time on the trail yesterday; it's just gorgeous outside.

Also been ruminating on some Rumi. Here's one of my favorites: "Out beyond the ideas of right thinking or wrong thinking is a field. I'll meet you there."
--Rumi

Dim the lights; enjoy the show

Yesterday I went to COMO's beloved Ragtag with my sweet friend Blythe. For those of you that are not familiar, the Ragtag is a wonderfully intimate movie theater that plays independent films and documentaries with the occasional throw-back to a classic such as Breakfast at Tiffany's added to the calendar.

Ordinarily I hate the movie theater because I am the short person that always has the tallest person sit in front of her. I am the person that has the gem of an individual parked behind me for the sole purpose of kicking the back of my seat. I am the person that picks just the right time to hit the theater in this college town when all of the sorostitutes are out pretending to be interested in the movie but really just want to talk on their cell phones in the theater. Oh, I should also mention that I am the person with the short temper for any of this nonsense so it is ill-advised for anyone else to want to go with me because I will, in fact, loudly tell you it is rude use your cell phone in the theater and to stop it. In an effort to avoid physical confrontation for both myself and whomever might be accompanying me I simply do not go to the movies. That is of course, unless you're talking about the Ragtag.

It may seem elitist, but I do not care; the Ragtag clientèle is different; it's an eclectic mix of young professionals, contemporary hippies, professors, bright young high schoolers and so on with the commonality being that they all want to see and hear the show. There are no fancy theater seats, rather the room is filled with old 70sish looking furniture, a hodgepodge of doctors' office waiting room chairs and old couches in lovely hues of avocado and burnt orange. The popcorn isn't buttery, but it is freshly popped. The Uprise Bakery is located inside with a full menu of delicious soups, sandwiches and other baked treats. There's a bar, stocked with a decent wine list and several of the beer-lovers essentials rotating on tap, such as New Castle and Guinness. The halls and entryway are resplendent with original and rotating artwork from local artists. Occasionally the Ragtag brings in an actor, writer or director for the film it's showcasing to host a lively Q. and A. The projectionists always introduce the film with fun tidbits about other upcoming showcases. There is a brief intermission for bathroom break or another cocktail, coffee or treat. It is an atmosphere that you can not help but enjoy, and for me it is additionally desirable to visit because it is supporting small, local business. Needless to say, I subscribe to their calendar of events and try to catch shows there when my personal calendar allows. If nothing else it serves as a guide for films to be on the lookout for.

Every once in a while there is a film that I simply can not wait to see. When the June calendar came out I knew The Visitor was one of those films. I am happy to report that it did not disappoint. I will not offer you a typical movie review here, as I hate the way reviewers often spoil a film. Instead I simply implore you to give this movie a viewing. The movie's title is intentionally ambiguous: Who, exactly, is the visitor? Who belongs here and who doesn't?

The Visitor is about the miraculousness of finding a sense of place, even when a person feels doomed to dislocation. The writing and directing are superb, and the acting is phenomenal. Richard Jenkins (dad from Six Feet Under) seems to effortlessly act the lead. His ennui laden character spoke to my heart. The remainder of the cast is also exceptional and definitely beautiful to boot (see Haaz Sleiman and Danai Jekesai Gurira).

I found myself both laughing and crying as this is a piece that is both wistful and comedic. To be certain, although it is very much a film about people and their relationships, it is also a film primarily placed in post 9/11 NY and is laced with political commentary on immigration, xenophobia and American ideals of liberty and justice for “all.”

Additionally, I couldn't ask for a better soundtrack to accent the work. The Visitor is filled with light and often melancholy piano notes as well as rousing Afro-centric drum beats and briefly features the sounds of Fela Kuti.

The Visitor is so fresh in my heart and mind that I could give you quite a detailed and accurate recap, but truly, I want you to watch it yourselves. If anything, because I've been such a lazy blogger lately I might give you my two cents on immigration/deportation sometime soon. I simply haven't had the time to write lately, but given the new MO immigration reform hitting close to home for me I just might make the time to churn something out.

In the interim at least enjoy the movie trailer.

Ricky Bobby Kerry Billie Jo Elvis????

And I thought our government was far too involved in our lives! Check out this article about a recent lawsuit in Sweden:

Elvis no name for a girl
Published: 4 Jun 08 09:05 CETOnline: http://www.thelocal.se/12214/

Swedish tax authorities have informed a couple in Stockholm that they may not keep the name Elvis for their five-month old daughter.

Forbidden names: identity and the law (26 Nov 07)
Couple 'will divorce' if son can't take mother's name (16 Oct 07)
Baby Metallica allowed to keep her name (19 Apr 07)

The girl's parents have appealed the decision, Metro reports.

"We talked about lots of names and then Elvis popped up. We thought it was a name that was both pretty and gender-neutral. We're not Elvis Presley fans at all," the infant's mother, Linda, told the newspaper.

The most important factor for the couple, who do not own any of The King's records, was for the name to be "gender-neutral".

But not everyone agreed with their assessment that Elvis fit the bill. In its ruling, the tax board wrote:"It is the National Tax Board's view that Elvis is a first name of a masculine type and as such may, in light of standard practice, be considered clearly inappropriate as a first name for a woman."

The girl's mother however believes that her appeal will be successful and has vowed to continue calling her daughter Elvis whatever the eventual outcome. The family can also take heart from the experience last year of the Tomaro family, whose daughter was eventually allowed to keep the name Metallica after a protracted battle with the authorities.

Blech! While I think Elvis is an awful name for a little girl, I certainly don't think it's government business to decide whether or not parents can use it for their baby.

Leave it to socialist Sweden to actually use tax dollars on an appellative committee.

Thinking on socialism quite a bit lately, and now with this article I think it's my official cue to read Hayek's Road to Serfdom in its entirety vs. just the small excerpts I had in class circa '99.

Ah, Dr. Hayek, 'tis true what you say, socialism is contrary to freedom.

How I Came to Love Ron Paul: The Story of a Self-proclaimed Libertarocrat Turned Republican Supporter…well, at least of one Republican anyway

I've been voting for 10 years now and have only voted outside of the Democratic or Libertarian parties twice. One of those times is irrelevant for this story, and the other is of course, in this election season's primary. What possessed me, the girl that everyone assumes is a hardcore liberal simply because she's the product of lower-middle class, single-parent household and lives as an enviro-friendly vegetarian with two gay best friends and a fondness for diversity and tolerance of it, to vote for a Republican? Well, it all started January 9th, in a simple conversation that I was having to become reacquainted with an old friend. We were exchanging pleasantries when he asked me, rather out of the blue, who I was voting for in the presidential election.

Now, ordinarily I don't care to discuss politics or “hot-button” issues with someone that I want to get along with as I am all-to-aware of my own ability to become aggressive and/or defensive. I recalled this kid as being one of the nicest boys I knew though, it was just on-line, and I was bored at work so I said to myself, "why not?", and acquiesced. My reply was basically that it was still too early for me to say, that I felt, often you don't get to see the best or ugliest until it was closer to election time, that admittedly I hadn't researched enough detail yet to make a final decision and was aware that I needed to get on it, but with that said, I replied that I was leaning toward Obama. Well, little did I know that my friend was/is one of the largest Ron Paul supporters out there, nor did I know what a gift he has for setting you up just take you down. Yep, he baited and I bit; the boy only asks who you're voting for and why so that he may then offer up reasons as to why your choice is not a good one, and that really there is only one sound choice: Ron Paul.

He inquired, "why do you like Obama?" I responded that for starters: 1.) I worked in healthcare and could find things that I liked in his plan and 2.) I liked where he stood in foreign policy with respect to the war in Iraq. I mean, his health plan wasn't nearly as extravagant as Hillary's, and I liked his proposed changes for private companies. He opposed the war and proposed a fairly quick return of troops. I said my friend has a gift right? Here is why I believe that he does: at this point he could have just criticized me, told me why I was wrong, etc., but instead he took more of an, "uh huh, I see," approach and proceeded to explain that there was only one person that he could comfortably and in good conscience vote for because there was only one person that was a true adherent of the Constitution, a pursuant of liberty, freedom....Ron Paul.

Of course, he wanted to know my thoughts on the man, and all I could offer was that I knew very little other than that I thought he was a proponent for homeschooling, something with which I had concerns. A litany of reasons as to why Ron Paul is awesome was delivered quickly, and I found myself promising to research him as a viable option for my vote before deciding on anyone. Never let it be said that I am close-minded because I am always open to research and to learn. Not only did I proceed to read pretty much everything on www.ronpaul2008.com I also looked for newspaper articles and political commentary on the man. I was enthralled with much of what I was reading, as there was quite a bit that I agreed with, and I'm pretty sure my friend knew it was happening as he just continued to nudge more Ron Paul my way. I was coaxed into watching ridiculously long clips from YouTube on the Federal Reserve, from which I was inspired to write a blog that sent my collective group of heavily left-leaning friends into a frenzied mess. Honestly, it threw me a bit off-kilter as well but was welcome as I had been suffering from a bit of apathy toward writing, something I once loved. Never did I expect to actually be wooed by a Republican, but Dr. Paul has his ways.

I bought and read Freedom Under Siege and fell even more smitten with this little Constitutionalist as he truly seems to always stand his ground. It's not Obama's foreign policy or healthcare plans that I agree with; they're Ron Paul's. The man acknowledges our obscene overspending and wants to stop it. He refuses to treat the Constitution as a simple piece of antiquated paper, open to interpret as we see fit. His diligence and strict adherence to his beliefs and to the Constitution move me, and it turns out that he's not so far off from many of the Libertarian ideals that I have often agreed with over the years. He speaks with honesty about limiting a big government that has far overstepped its prescribed role and about restoring our personal freedoms as they were intended to be protected in the first place.

The more Paul I read, the more I liked, and the more of everyone else I read, the more I disliked and identified them as trespassing against the Constitution. With Ron Paul there are no surprises; his policies and future actions are found in one place. Any reluctance or hesitance? You need only look at his voting record. The man does not waiver. What about the rest? Well, they will pander and weave whatever story they think the public is buying. James Madison once said, "Do not separate text from historical background. If you do, you will have perverted and subverted the Constitution, which can only end in a distorted, bastardized form of illegitimate government." James Madison = founding father and soothsayer ;-) I decided that I no loner want anything to do with this bastardized form of government and that I would seek to only further advance my knowledge of Ron Paul and what he stands for.

I desperately wanted to hear Ron Paul speak, and I wrote the following to my friend in explanation as to why I would very much like to go with him: “I would like to listen (in person) to someone that impresses me with his ability to recognize that not all human problems are capable of solutions (at least not via government solutions), that resists unnecessary government spending (especially given the current state of our economy), that holds a watchful eye over big Washington power, that I can respect for his faith even if I don't fully grasp it and respect even more for what seems to be the ability to know there is a point where religion and politics simply do not mesh, that promotes self-reliance and cultural pluralism and most of all freedom.” Ron Paul did not disappoint; if anything I like him even more. Previous viewings of his speeches and debates had left me wondering just how personable he was and whether or not he was a very good speaker. Concerns were put to rest on Friday night as I listened to him deliver an excellent speech, peppered with humor and filled with a more than personable demeanor. It was an absolute honor and delight to hear him speak and to share in the company of approximately 1500 other impassioned Ron Paul supporters. I thank my friend not only for taking me but for introducing me to someone that is truly the kind of candidate I can support.

What’s not to love about Ron Paul? He favors sound money, non-interventionist foreign policy (keeping our tax dollars here), increased trading and friendly interaction with other nations, personal responsibility, repealed income tax, free market healthcare, small government, personal freedom and so on…:-) I encourage you to consider not only his platform but his level of respectability: he is consistent, and he doesn't take money from criminals like the other three big names in this race as they are all guilty of business with the likes of Soros, PACS and Goldman Sachs.

I believe that he means what he says as voting actions speak louder than any campaign propaganda. An administration headed by Ron Paul would result in a better United States, one much more economically stable and in healthier relationship with the rest of the world. Current administration and our ballot choices take a counterproductive approach that actually leads the United States to be resented and more isolated in the world. I’m tired of it, and I will not vote for someone just because he is the lesser of two evils. I will wear my Ron Paul button. I will help spread his message of freedom and liberty, and I will vote in November the same way I did in February.

The Constitution is the sine qua non to a healthy U.S., and Ron Paul is the only candidate that knows this. In closing I leave you with a commercial whose Haloesque animation I sincerely enjoy in addition to the content as well as some words from Barry Goldwater that seem as though they could just as easily be spoken by Ron Paul today; truly great ideas and principles do not expire:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK4BzVsAgtY



"I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom." - Goldwater

I eagerly await my copy of The Revolution: A Manifesto.