The most important thing in life is to look good from a distance.

Rock On!

America's Greatness

Can anyone explain why baseball and softball are being eliminated from Olympic competition but they're leaving in rhythmic gymnastics? And did you know there's group rhythmic gymnastics? How about synchronized swimming?
"Higher, Faster, Stronger."
Right.
But I have new motivation to keep at this swimming thing. I heard today that Michael Phelps will have an annual income of something like $8 million because of his success at the Olympics. So today I worked on my touch at the wall.

We need a game! This one has three difficulty levels and is just fun. Not tricky, not complex, not sophisticated. Just fun.
Sling Fire

Like Sudoku? How about doing it in Chinese, as long as we're all in a China mood?
Chinese Sudoku

The IOC has decided to investigate the Chinese gymnast who was 13 years old two months before the Olympics, but suddenly turned 16, the minimum age for participation in Olympic gymnastic competition. I am curious how they're going to determine just how old she is.

Did you see that Gene Upshaw died? Former NFL Hall of Famer and head of the players union for the last umpteen years. He was a controversial figure in that latter role, but what's striking about his death at 63 is the circumstance of his death. He died of pancreatic cancer, and only got the diagnosis last Sunday.

Speaking of dying, how about this? Jay Leno could do a whole monologue with just this one story. Even I can come up with several jokes - none of which belong in this blog.

I'm caught in the system - the medical system. And it has me ticked! My doctor, Dr. Rodriguez, like most doctors these days works for a medical corporation. He's an employee. He happens to be an excellent doctor if you ask his patients (me included) and other medical professionals. He often has patients on Pam's floor at the hospital and everyone there thinks very highly of him.
But apparently there's some conflict between my dr. and his employer, Phoenix Medical Group. I got a letter from PMG a few weeks ago saying that Dr. Rodriguez would no longer be with PMG, effective Aug. 30. I figured that wouldn't be a huge problem because a) I could follow him to his new practice, and b) my next appointment with him, when I'd get lab results, would come 10 days before that. So I went to that appointment Tuesday only to learn that PMG has, in effect, locked him out of what I thought was his practice (I now realize it's PMG's practice) and I would be seeing a physician's assistant.
I don't think so!
He doesn't start at his new practice until Sept. 2, and because of some travel plans the earliest I can see him is Sept. 8.
Now, it's no big deal. It's not like I have pancreatic cancer or anything. But until I do some digging I don't know who has my test results (PMG?), how and when I can find out what they say, and what happens with follow-up.
We hear a lot about how medical care is run by the insurance companies, but at least in this case it's a medical corporation that is controlling things. I can't say enough good stuff about Dr. Rodriguez. This is a guy who has called me in the evening to give me lab results and see how I'm doing. But PMG is calling the shots and they've decided that their business practices supercede patient care.
Again, in the grand scheme of things it's no big deal. It will all work out, and if I wait until Sept. 8 or sometime thereafter to get results no real harm will be done. But it illustrates that most doctors, no matter how skilled or committed to patient care, are limited by the medical corporation for which they work.
Note: the majority of physicians now work for a corporation. The cost of doing business on their own is prohibitive.
Can you imagine what it would be like if the government ran health care?!

But there's good news on the subject of govt. and health care. The White House today proposed a rule that would protect medical professionals who decline to perform abortions if the corporation for which they work receives any public funds. The hospital or medical corporation could not retaliate in any way against a medical professional who refused to perform an abortion on grounds of conscience. The rule now faces a 30-day public comment period. I think that it goes into effect after that unless the White House withdraws it. A very positive development!

I saw a woman wearing a shirt that said "Guess" on it. So I said, "Thyroid problem?" - Peter Kay