Insurance companies turn breast reductions into masectomies

This really annoys me. I like breasts as much as the next guy, but sometimes, they need reduction for a variety of reasons. If the woman's life is not enhanced by their breast size, they may need to come down. If their size is causing them daily pain, or worse, causing damage to things like their spine, they definitely need breast reduction. And, health insurance companies should pay for it like any other reasonable medical cost.

However, insurance companies found a loophole. They don't want to pay for this, they say, because later women will want another reduction, so they turn a reduction, basically, into a mastectomy. That is incredibly sad. Pathetic really, on the part of health insurance companies. And more said on the part of women. Because that means women are suffering because of the health insurance companies.

Insurance companies say, basically, if you want a reduction, okay, then you have to take off an amount specified by the Schnur scale. This is a fairly general scale used by doctors, but we've heard how that goes. Not to mention, this was originally intended as a guideline. Not an end all be all as insurance companies have turned it into. Especially, if you are short, then the scale can be off.

Breasts, especially in the US, are an important commodity, an important social status issue as well as quite important in a woman's self esteem. Something that the insurance companies seem to give no credence to whatsoever. It is a number, not in any way, an emotional consideration.

Consider you are in that situation. You need some weight taken off your chest, but not too much. Just enough so you can handle the strain on your back. So the insurance company says, okay, but we need to take nearly all of them off. Would you do it? Even if you are in pain every single day? Especially, if you are a young woman?

I really think the health insurance industry needs to be taken to task on this one. From their perspective, they have a reasonable scale to make this decision by. But as many of us know, a DOCTOR should make that decision because there are a variety of things to take into account: the patient in general, their emotional status, their physical structure, size, weight, height, some of which the scale takes into account, but definitely, not all.

What this does is put the insurance company in the position of a monster, an uncaring bastard, really. And so, many women continue to suffer on a daily basis, in pain, and in many cases, deforming their spine, to the uncaring disconcern of paper pushers hidden away in corporate offices.

Sounds all pretty familiar, doesn't it?

About the Schnur scale

How do you feel about this sexy video?

I saw this video the other day. I thought it was sex, clever, cute, and demented. All the perfect elements for an ad.

But it would seem its been pulled. For bad taste I should presume. I always thought it was cool because it was about a woman, secure in herself for marrying an old guy. Happy with her situation, in a relationship she found to be advantageous. Same as with love, right? I love you, you love me, so its advantageous for us both, because its an arrangement we both find to our advantage. Since marriage has almost forever been an arrangement for profit, I'm not sure I see anything wrong with this.

But, then in the end, they take the expected path and well, my question is, do you see a downside in this?

Because, I'm not sure I do.

Check it out yourself and let me know. Because, I could think of worse ways to end a marriage. Actually, I have gone through worse ways to end a marriage, several times....

Sarah Palin as the GOP 2012 Presidential Nominee? Uh, no.

There's currently a joke going around about ex-Alaskan Governor, current media sensation, Sarah Palin:

‎"Hi. This is Sarah Palin. Is Senator Lieberman in?"
"No, governor. This is Yom Kippur."
"Well, hello, Yom. Can I leave a message?"

This pretty much sums up the good ole' country girl intellect of the ex Governor of Alaska, and ex-2008 Vice-Presidential running partner of Senator McCain. So the question is, will she be up for nomination, or actually be the GOP Presidential candidate for 2012?

I don't think so. She has shown her colors. Hasn't she.

Christie Todd-Whitman was on Fareed Zakaria's GPS Sunday show and I feel she agrees. She was the first female Governor (Republican) of New Jersey, and wrote the NY Times bestseller, "It's My Party, Too".Governor Whitman is also the President of the Whitman Strategy Group and was also in the GW Bush cabinet.

She told Fareed that there simply isn't the base for the GOP to get Sarah elected. That pretty much sums that one up.

As for this last election, she said that people didn't become Republicans, they were just telling the President that he went too far left and they wanted more balance. Whitman is concerned about the 50% of the Republicans being new and having a shallow institutional knowledge of what they will have to do. They think they will go into it with a mind set of no spending, but reality is the government has to spend and there are services they have to supply, which will lead to a rude awakening of these new politicians.

She said, "I don't think Palin will win nationwide"; and that the GOP should have learned that in 2008, because they got their base out there and then they were "handed their heads." Plus, she said that there are plenty of others out there working hard right now, for that nomination: Mitt Romney, for instance. She also said that just about all the Congressmen and Senators right now think they are viable candidates (and obviously, they aren't all viable, what does that say about the GOP?).

Whitman told Fareed that were Palin to actually become the GOP nominee, she would "have to show me a lot more than I've seen thus far, as far as an understanding of the depth and the complexity of the issues that we face. I mean, I don't know her personally, so I can't comment on that. I mean, she was a Governor, but the fact that she left office before even completing her first term, is just not an attitude that I think is necessarily in the best interest of your constituents rather than what is in your best interests."

If I had to vote for Christie, or Sarah? Sarah would lose.

Princess Liea an alky? "Wishful Drinking" on HBO tells all

Carrie Fisher's one-woman-show titled, "Wishful Drinking", is now appearing on HBO.

Carrie Fisher (LA Times)

If you have any curiosity about what the woman who played Princess Leia, this is the show for you. She is famous the world over, among other things, for her role in the Star Wars franchises that began in the 1970's; and for her appearance in a certain sequel of the original, by appearing in a slave costume as slave to "Jabba the Hut", a nasty bulky, disgusting character, which lead to her being THE fantasy girl of nerds everywhere for the following decades. She has had a fascinating life few of us would want to experience. But it makes great fodder for her show.

In the show, she explains her birth, birthright and birth nightmares. As well as the history of a piece of Hollywood that included among others, Liz Taylor (whom her father left her mother, Debbie Reynolds for) and her one time husband, Paul Simon. Its funny, poignant, heart breaking and entertaining, and highly recommended.

"Wishful Drinking" show HBO web site.

Surfing

I learned to surf in New Jersey. Cape May, New Jersey. People have laughed about that, but we had a die hard surf and beach culture there. When I went to Hawaii the first time, I did just fine. So those guys in NJ must have known what they were doing.

This is a metaphor I have come back to time and again throughout my life. Surfing. Skiing. I've used another similar one, that of, Winter, Summer (I'm more of a Summer guy). But let's stick to the surfing format for this time.

I've always been a surfer at heart. A surfer rides a wave, tons of water with force and direction, and a chaos that you have to learn to deal with. Like shifting sands beneath your feet that you never really know what it will do next. When it changes, you change. And if you can master that, you can ride the waves of power throughout your life. Of course there are plenty of surfers that are total losers in life. But if you think of this as a philosophy, things change in how you handle things.

In skiing, you are going down a static run. Sure, it has surprises in it, but if you keep an eye out, you can see what is coming. And if you ski it again, its still there where you left it, ran over it last time, or crashed into it. If you are being pulled by a boat, water skiing, same things basically.

And I've met people in life that ran their life, just like they were surfers (fewer people that I've met) or skiers (many more people that I've met). The skiers seemed to have more difficulty in handles surprises. But are better at dealing with it, than those people that do not, either ski or surf.

So, I've always looked at difficulties in life as if I'm riding a big wave. Its taking me a long and I'm doing my best to stay on top, cut left or right, speed up or slow down as need be. Normally, it takes little thought. But when big things go wrong, with suddenly I'm faced with something that is throwing everyone else around me, I just dig in, and get ready for the change, to ride whatever direction it goes. But remember, you always also, have to know when to hit the surface, leap for your life. Because, its all the same thing, you have to know what to do, and ride it to the best conclusion possible. At nearly all costs, riding it in to shore.

So the next time you are gong along in life, and life turns into a monster, trying to slam you into the rocks, consider what you need to do, and rather than leap off, hit the bunny run, ask for the jet boat to pick you up, ride that wave until it expends its energy. Because, it always does.

And if you are a skier, remember, the bottom of the mountain is always down there, at the bottom.

IFC cable channel no longer commercial free

Apparently, as of last Tuesday 12/6, IFC channel (Independent Film Channel) now has commercials, and commercial interruptions during all programming. They have dropped art-house films for indie films and more main stream, and TV shows/original programming. I loved this channel for years, but now I will resent even watching it, and I very well may not. Facebook and Twitter postings are yelling about this sad decision for IFC.

I'm probably going to quit watching the IFC. I don't understand why we pay for channels when they force us to watch commercials, if we watch their channel. I thought pay TV was going to eliminate commercials. 

Someone on a site somewhere said something I have to try and paraphrase: "...can it be long before badly applied patches start making movie characters say "Forget You!" and "I don't give a spit" to appease the ChristiaNazis?"

Its a very good question.

To me, "independent" means, taking chances, walking the fine line, being interesting, pushing the envelope. I suppose what we now need is a Super Independent channel. At this point, I'm not seeing much of anything independent about the IFC. Icky Film Channel? Idiot Film Channel?

Pathetic.

Let's kill people for breaking "God's" Laws. Or are those Our Laws?

Woooohoooo...let's kill people. Fun, isn't it FUN people? God said we can. Our (Pakistani) government said we can. Our religious leaders are crying out for murder. Yehaw...we have dispensation to do it (how Catholic, don't you think?). We can kill and be rewarded in Heaven (That make believe location up in the sky with 72 virgins (Ugh, virgins) and here on Earth ($5,800 ain't bad for killing a Christian woman). Let's chant, come on, everyone! Kill the bitch, kill the bitch! Kill Kill Kill. Woohooo, look at me, I'm a muslim jerk (or should that be asshole?)! Note the lower case "m" in muslim. Why? Because, upper case "M" is a Muslim and those are good people. The lower case ones are Taliban, terrorists, bastardizers of the Islamic religion. And they don't even know it. Sad.

Okay, enough of displaying how these people appear to any sane person.

Before I get into this, I would like to say that I have an orientation in life that is very close to any Buddhist. But I would like to think of it as a more enlightened form of Buddha Dharma. I struggle with it daily, working against my original self, as I was raised, which was Catholic. I have opinions that work against me, I make mistakes, I sometimes have this pointed out to me and I do my best to correct my not so brilliant thoughts as I notice them.

But like as a friend of mine once told me of the leader in his family's "church" when he was younger: One day they were sitting at a picnic table, eating. A mosquito landed on their leaders arm. She was from all accounts, a character, a leader, intelligent, wise. Someone asked her a question about killing. Her response was to regard the mosquito, then smack it dead, there on her arm. She looked up, smiled and said: "Off to your next life." Then she went back to eating. Her point being, although you should not kill, when you do, know it, be aware, have a reason that requires it with reason, not nonsense, not made up reasons, not because "Joey told me to (or God)", have it be a good reason, then simply do it and move on with your life. Because it was required. And there is the rub. What is required? And finally, do NOT, put it into a God's lap. Do not blame others, you did it.

It is as Buddha had once said, when you recognize it, you know it. That leads many people to ignorance, because, they are by nature, ignorant. An enlightened soul, simply knows they are doing wrong. In these Muslim nations, where government and religion are one, this "knowing" becomes blurred. Very easily so, too.

When the State enforces "God's Laws" is is God who is enforcing Law, or is it people who are raising themselves above their own God? Becoming, self important. Fearing that perhaps God won't do His Job? Maybe God ain't Great enough to handle His own Laws. Perhaps Mohammad cannot handle doing his job, or perhaps God, won't enforce people speaking against Mr. great himself, Mohammad the Man. I have a question, was Mohammad really such a bastard as his modern day people seem to proclaim he was? And note, I said nothing bad about him. I've only asked a question. If you cannot hold your beliefs, your God's your idols up to scrutiny, perhaps you shouldn't be having them? Yes?

Really people? Really?

If God is so Great, then why in God's Name, does he need piddling little bastards like Us, to enforce His laws, to kill his creations?

This, from NPR:

Activists of the Pakistani fundamentalist party Jamat-i-Islami protest last month in Karachi, chanting slogans against Asia Bibi, a Christian mother sentenced to death for blasphemy.

 [what a nice looking group of young men calling for the murder of a kind woman who offered some people some water to drink.]

The woman in question, offered water to people in the fields. They refused saying she had contaminated the water because she was Christian. Now that is some religion you got there, you ignorant backward peasants. 

Still, the life of Asia Bibi, a mother of two and stepmother of three, is at stake.

AP -Asia Bibi at a prison in Sheikhupura, near Lahore, on Nov. 20.  She appeared in a televised interview from her prison, tearfully denying the blasphemy charges that led to her death sentence.

A cleric has offered 500,000 rupees — roughly $5,800 — to anyone who kills the now eighteen month long jailed woman, who is being held in the district jail in the city of Sheikhupura. The Taliban also have threatened retribution should she be spared, yet another sign the case has become a rallying point for extremists. [why, oh WHY, do these people love killing women so much? Freud? Any thoughts there? Could it be that sex is so forbidden and they are simply PISSED off at life?]

Reporter is Julie McCarthy/NPR Photo is of the Rev. Samson Dilawar, a Catholic priest, with Ashiq Masih, husband of Asia Bibi, and daughter Sidra at a safe house where the family agreed to be interviewed.

A Frightened Family

Within 24 hours of the Taliban warning, Asia Bibi's family fled their home in the Christian colony of Gloria in Sheikhupura, a 90-minute drive from Lahore. [so, religion, once again, is making people run for their lives; but I'm sure its what God wants]

The Vatican has called for her release. Well, at least her people are sticking up for her.

The Taliban, biggest losers in the world, want to murder a woman. Do these people not see what degenerates they are? Killing women? Old women? Do we need people like this on the face of the earth who put themselves above their own God?

I think "an eye for an eye", a quote from the same miserable texts they decry their own citizens from, perhaps should be turned upon them, their clerics, their governments. If we're going to go to war, perhaps it should be for something like this. Where innocent people are demanded to be put to death, for being kind, as they say (and which always confused me) "God fearing people".

I think what we need is a small, elite group who simply goes in and kills all those people who think like this, simply wipe out those who think we should treat others like this. Then when they are all dead, they can wipe themselves out.

I jest, but this, is not funny. These people, this form of thought, organizations like this, religions like this, really need to be wiped from the face of the earth. What God, would allow His people to treat His people in such ways? Does this religion, these people, this government, not sound like something bred and raised in caves, by cave people? By ignorant, delusional, self serving, self aggrandizing, people?

It angers me, that any group would put upon any other group like this. To put people, who are obviously good people, I mean, she offered them water for God's sake, for Mohammad's sake, she was trying to take care of people who weren't even of her religion. And they want to put her to death after 18 months in prison? For what?

Someone just told me (this is hearsay, but she is usually accurate), that. about a year ago a woman was sentenced to death for a having a baby out of wedlock. She was raped and was too traumatized by the ordeal to come forward. This information was ignored, she was branded a whore and stoned to death.

Hearing things like that really sickens me. How can people in those countries NOT see what they are doing? No, no need to explain it, I have a degree in psychology. I KNOW. But still, I have to wonder, how. I ponder on the turning a blind eye to this kind of thing, going on around the world. I know all about the borders of other nations, thing. I know we perhaps, shouldn't sacrifice our military on this kind of thing. Or is that what its for, beyond protecting our own borders?

I'm really not a war mongerer, but this kind of thing sometimes makes me want to be. I've always stood up for the underdog (unless they ask for it on purpose and no, a girl wearing sexy clothes is not asking for it!). Even in grade school I got beat up repeatedly for standing up for other kids being picked on by bullies. I really don't like seeing organized people putting down individuals, even groups, like this. Its bad enough we have religions allowing this, but for the governments to be infested with religious doctrine to where its institutionalized even further...well...it makes me crazy sometimes. And for governments, who KNOW better, to whine about its citizens being backward and "what can we do, or me, oh my" oh get some balls. And this goes for America too ("Don't ask, Don't tell, sound familiar?).

I tell you, this part of the world sickens me sometimes. There is simply no excuse for people, for forms of thought like this, to exist. And the sooner we wipe them out, the better. I do not suggest, truly, killing them, though it is a feel good solution. But they need to be made to be the pariah's of the world until they see the ignorance, the errors of their ways, of their God's ways. But really? I don't think this has a thing to do with God, Mohammad, or any prophets, but with people, with greedy government leaders, who would create such a law. It would seems in some cases, a religion is cruel and unusual punishment. And yes, a religion's people are the religion, so don't give me that tired argument.

Leaders are supposed to lead but instead, they set themselves up for power and this is what we get:

Stupid, ignorant religions and even stupider, more ignorant people who follow them.

It seems the President of Pakistan has called for a full review, and people aren't usually put to death for this. But to even be able to be jailed for speaking WORDS, really needs to be addressed world wide (hear this China?) and people should be allowed to talk without fear of being jailed, or put to torture, or death.