A Black Woman Ranting

HOSPITAL ISSUEING PAPER GOWNS AND SOCKS TO PATIENTS

2009-11-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

A friend was admitted to surgery at a large hospital in California and was shocked at being issued a paper gown and some socks upon being admitted. She had asked for the skid proof vinyl and terrycloth slippers and they gave her the socks.

When she got to the hospital bed it was so flimsy it was like a dolly on wheels. And she said when she got to the operating room, she was transferred to an operating table that looked like a lawn chair. she sat up and she almost flipped over. They had her slide back as far as she could.

I sure would like to see the charges for the gowns and the socks and see if the charges are the same as they before when they had cloth gowns and slippers ! What's next, will they ask you to bring in your own nighties and will they have you go to the OR naked under a sheet ?

ARE THE TEA PARTY GOERS MISGUIDED ?

2009-11-05T19:04:00.000-08:00

It seems that they are being taken for a ride by those who will benefit from the failure of health care reform. Since most of the people have not been affected by the health care system, they don't have a clue. You only have to look at the scandal at Walter Reed Hospital and the deplorable conditions there. Imus got behind the movement to improve care for vets.

One would only have to view the Francis Ford Coppola's movie, "The Rainmaker" based on the book by John Grisham. The movie starred Matt Damon and Danny Devito.People are being told to vote against anything that Obama is for.

I think it is going to backfire on them. Things they are being told that will happen in the future, are happening now. I think we need reform but it shouldn't be shoved down our throats. And the lawmakers are not even reading the bill. And I think there are a lot of blank pages in the bill that will be filled in later.

TUNISIA HAS SUSPENDED THE HAJJ BECAUSE OF THE SWINE FLU

2009-11-03T21:25:00.000-08:00

Minister of Religious Affairs Boubaker Akhzouri announced that the hajj had been postponed in order to" preserve human life".

The risk of the spread of swine flu and the impossibility of vaccinating candidates for the annual pilgrimage to Mecca was the reason.

This was an unprecedented decision that affects about 10,000 Tunisians

WAS THE CELL PHONE INCIDENT A LITMUS TEST ?

2009-10-19T22:57:00.000-07:00

I could not believe it when Maria Scharzenegger announced she would donate her cell phone to a charity. This was after she was observed talking on a cell phone while driving several times. It has always been known that there are two types of laws, one for the rich and another for the rest of us.

I would have expected her cousin to say that she would donate her phone to charity. But not Maria. She is an accomplished journalist. What I would have liked to see was her going down to the Department of Motor Vehicles and paying a fine, which is what the rest of us would have had to do. Then I would have had my faith restored in her,since I have followed her family history over the years.

This is why the people's trust in famous people have waned in recent years. We do not rev er them as we once used to. I think her coming out and saying she was donating her cell phone to charity was a red herring.

PENTAGON HAS BEST RECRUITING YEAR SINCE 1973

2009-10-13T17:06:00.001-07:00

The Pentagon's personnel chief said Tuesday the military has completed its best recruiting year since 1973, meeting all its goals and bringing in a better educated group of young people.

The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps met goals for active duty and reserve recruiting during the budget year ended Sept. 30 — the first time that has happened since the all-volunteer force was established, said Defense Department head of personnel Bill Carr.

Carr told a Pentagon press conference that it's partly because of department spending on finding recruits, even as fewer civilian jobs were available due to the nation's economic problems. He also cited increases in military pay.

FREDERIC MITTERRAND: THE SLAVE MARKET EXITES ME ENORMOUSLY

2009-10-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

The revelations in his 2005 autobiography “The Bad Life” have come back to haunt Mr Mitterrand after he emerged as one of the most vociferous defenders of Roman Polanski, the film director currently detained in Switzerland in connection with an outstanding conviction for unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl in the US in 1977.

In his book, Mr Mitterrand, the nephew of the late Socialist president François Mitterrand, wrote: “I got into the habit of paying for boys…All these rituals of the market for youths, the slave market excite me enormously.

“One could judge this abominable spectacle from a moral standpoint but it pleases me beyond the reasonable.”

Curiously, there was little outcry when the book was published in 2005. However, Mr Mitterrand’s tastes were brought to the fore on Monday by Marine Le Pen, daughter of the far-right National Front leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, on a political chat show.

JAPAN WANTS TO KICK U S FORCES OUT

2009-10-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

The new government is reviewing an agreement with Washington on US military facilities following through on a campaign pledge to islanders who have borne the brunt of the American presence for more than 60 years.

Around 50,000 American troops are based in Japan, around two-thirds of the total are in Okinawa. Resentment against their presence has grown in recent years due to a series of crimes committed by service personnel.

CHINA TO END HEPATITIS B TESTS

2009-10-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

According to Xinhua, the state news agency in Beijing, Chinese health officials will abolish mandatory testing for hepatitis B during physical exams given to college students, factory workers, and government employees.

The new rules, mean that people found to be carrying the hepatitis B virus will not be automatically barred from jobs and classrooms. It is estimated that 120 million people in China are thought to be infected. It is not uncommon in China for hepatitis B carriers to be barred from medical school, teaching positions or jobs in the food production industry.

JON GOSSELIN'S MONEY TRAIN IS OVER

2009-10-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

John Gosselin has demanded that TLC stop production of the show "John and Kate Plus 8"He no longer wants his family filmed since he heard he was being fired from the show. Beginning in November, the show would be called "Kate Plus 8".

He would have to get a job and the money would dry up and Kate would still be making money. Now he has put the divorce on hold.Does he think Kate will take him back so he can still get money ? His new life style will cease to be.

He would now have to pay many thousands of dollars a month for alimony and child support with no job.

WHY CHICAGO SHOULD NOT GET THE OLYMPICS

2009-10-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

How can Chicago protect tourists from all over the world, when they can't even protect innocent children going to and from school? It seems like these kids are being treated like collateral damage. Chicago has spent 100 million dollars for the bid on the Olympics.

I think it is in poor taste for President Obama and the First Lady to be cheerleaders for Chicago, when the Mayor isn't calling for federal help. These thugs should be tried as adults and tried under the Ricoh Act.Maybe federal prison time will send a message.

I shudder in horror as the elected officials pose for photo ops and smile as if everything is well in the city of Chicago. There needs to be rewards for film that was taken by cellphones to identify the perpetrators in these crimes.Kids are afraid to go to school for being attacked by mobs of their classmates.

A police official said there has been no tips or call from the public as to who these criminals were. I thought Chicago had a camera on every street corner ?

PRINCE PHILLIP CRITICIZES SUPERMARKETS, SECOND-HOME OWNERS

2009-09-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

We are sure hearing a lot from the Royal Family lately. Prince Phillip commented that a bottle of water costs more than a bottle of milk.

The prince’s wife is the largest landowner on the planet — she controls 6,600 million acres of land, one sixth of the earth’s non-ocean surface. Philip’s absurd comments come after he said he’d like to come back as a killer virus and wipe out a large chunk of humanity.

Prince Philip has taken a pot shot at supermarkets and second-home owners who he says are threatening the traditional village, in remarks published Wednesday.

The 88-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II — who has official residences in London, Windsor and Scotland as well as a vast portfolio of property — lamented the demise of the quintessential English village.

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HOW CAN PRINCE CHARLES TELL COMMONERS TO ABANDON CARS WHEN HE HAS SIX ??

2009-09-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

This is hypocrisy for him to ask this of the people. Has he no shame ? I just can't imagine him saying a thing. He is doing his part of high carbon emissions and global warming by asking this of his subjects. He should be leading by example. But I guess it is do as I say, not as I do !

The Prince, who has two Jaguars, two Audi's, a Range Rover and still drives an Aston Martin given to him by the Queen on his 21st birthday, said developers had a duty to put public transport and the pedestrian at the heart of their housing schemes.

Speaking about the “domination of the car over the pedestrian”, the future King said: “We must surely be able to organise ourselves… in ways in which we are not dependent on it to such a great extent for our daily needs.”

The Prince said the principle of “elevating the pedestrian above the car” was one of the guiding factors of Poundbury – his model development in Dorset. The importance of “pedestrian friendly public space” is central to the Poundbury ethos.

This kind of public transport-oriented development is fundamental to achieving the ultimate goal of a low carbon community, and it is very likely that such communities, far from being austere, will actually become the sought-after places where people will choose to live and spend their time.”

WHY DID JAY LENO LEAVE LATE NIGHT ?

2009-09-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

I think Leno wanted to get out while he was ahead. He wanted to something that had to do with comedy. Every night he had to talk to empty headed bauble heads that were hawking their new movie or show. They weren't funny or interesting.

The country has been leaning toward nastiness and mean rabid people. In his new show he is showcasing the need for knowledge. There are people who don't know things that a 5Th grader should know. It makes them look so stupid.

I don't think there is anyone who can replace Leno. And certainly when Letterman leaves, it will be all over.

WHY WAS CENSUS WORKER HANGED FROM A TREE ?

2009-09-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

MANCHESTER, Ky. – When Bill Sparkman told retired trooper Gilbert Acciardo that he was going door-to-door collecting census data in rural Kentucky, the former police officer drew on years of experience for a warning: "Be careful."

The 51-year-old Sparkman was found this month hanged from a tree near a cemetery with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest, a law enforcement official said Wednesday, and the FBI is investigating whether he was a victim of anti-government sentiment.

He was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of Daniel Boone National Forest.

State police said Thursday that the cause of death was asphyxiation. State police said in a statement that he was found with a rope around his neck that was tied to a tree, but that he was "in contact with the ground." .

People associate any person working for the government as an enemy. Service personnel working for utility companies,cable companies, or any service company are required to write a report as to what they have seen. I think it is an invasion of privacy. I feel our rights are being violated.

PATIENTS FALLING FROM HOSPITAL BEDS

2009-09-22T22:58:00.000-07:00

My daughter-in-law called to tell me that her mom's friend had fallen out of a hospital bed and went into a coma and died. She was only there for a minor surgery. This was a surprising event. No one had expected for this to happen.

Patient falls are the most common injuries reported in hospitals. Many hospitals are making simple changes. For example, patients aren't given diuretics before bedtime, as a full bladder might tempt patients to make a nighttime bathroom trip by themselves — a classic scenario for a fall.

Some hospitals avoid drugs that could impair a patent's balance. They are also using beds that can be lowered to the floor so that if patients fall out, they won't fall far.

All this patient protection isn't just happening out of benevolence. In some states, hospitals now have to publicly report their fall rates. There is also a financial incentive: Medicare will no longer pay for costs related to certain hospital falls. Those falls can add more than $4,000 in excess charges per hospitalization.

75 Percent of Oklahoma High School Students Can’t Name the First President of the U.S.

2009-09-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

OKLAHOMA CITY — Only one in four Oklahoma public high school students can name the first President of the United States, according to a survey released today.

The survey was commissioned by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs in observance of Constitution Day on Thursday.

Brandon Dutcher is with the conservative think tank and said the group wanted to find out how much civic knowledge Oklahoma high school students know.

The Oklahoma City-based think tank enlisted national research firm, Strategic Vision, to access students’ basic civic knowledge.

“They’re questions taken from the actual exam that you have to take to become a U.S. citizen,” Dutcher said.

A thousand students were given 10 questions drawn from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services item bank. Candidates for U.S. citizenship must answer six questions correctly in order to become citizens.

JAPAN IS PUSHING FOR AN ASIAN UNION

2009-09-22T19:45:00.000-07:00

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NEW YORK:

Japan's new Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, in his first meeting with China's President, has proposed the formation of an East Asian community.

On the eve of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Mr Hatoyama proposed to Hu Jintao the formation of a grouping like the European Union. He said the vision was designed to unify the region, possibly under a single currency.

''I told [Mr Hu] I would like to form an East Asian community by overcoming differences'' including a dispute over exploitation rights for gas fields lying near islands the two countries claim in East China Sea, Mr Hatoyama told reporters.

"I hope and am convinced China-Japan ties will develop more actively and enter a new phase," Mr Hu said, congratulating the Japanese leader on his election victory last month.

Mr Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan ended six decades of Liberal Democratic Party power, years that were often marked by frosty relations with China over Japan's war record.

Mr Hu agreed the two countries should work towards friendship and co-operation, and that officials should begin negotiations on an agreement. Mr Hu invited Mr Hatoyama to a summit including South Korea by December.

Mr Hatoyama urged Mr Hu to work on promoting public support for an accord with Japan. The Chinese President welcomed Mr Hatoyama's stance on Japan's aggression during World War II. Mr Hatoyama said his administration would honour a 1995 statement in which Japan apologized for past aggression.

South Korea To Begin Fingerprinting All Foreigners.

2009-09-21T23:28:00.000-07:00

S Korea 'to fingerprint all foreigners

South Korea will demand fingerprints from all adult foreign visitors by 2012 to tighten immigration controls and prevent criminals entering the country, officials said on Tuesday.

The justice ministry said a bill to be submitted to parliament next month requires foreigners aged over 17 to provide prints of their index fingers and an identity photograph upon entry.

Those intending to stay more than three months must provide full fingerprints in addition to the photo.

South Korea previously took fingerprints of foreigners intending to stay for more than a year. The requirement was abolished in 2004.

"A database of physical information on foreigners is urgently needed to stop illegal immigrants, criminals and terrorists from entering the country," said Lee Bok-Nam, an immigration official at the justice ministry.

Crimes by foreigners rose nearly fivefold over the past eight years from 4,328 in 2001 to 20,624 last year, JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported Tuesday, quoting national police data.

WALL STREET IS AT IT AGAIN !!

2009-09-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

When will Wall Street stop ? According to The New York Times,, they are now bundling million dollar insurance policies for sale. People are cashing in for pennies on the dollar and they are being gobbled up.With the economy in such dire straits and people at wits end, many of them had no choice but to sell them.

MENINGITIS OUTBREAK IN KERN COUNTY CALIFORNIA

2009-08-16T23:11:00.000-07:00

There is a total number of 23 cases in the county since December. The school district sent a warning letter home with students about the disease.

Kevin Silberberg, Standard School District"s Superintendent said, " There is no way to know 100 percent that it didn't happen at school but the letter from the Health Department given to the parents said it was every indication that it didn't happen at school ".

Meningococcal disease is a bacterial infection that can cause meningitis. The disease can be spread by close contact like sharing lipsticks, and food, and can result in brain damage, hearing loss and even death. Many people can carry the infection and never get sick.

Doctors have been warned not to mistake meningitis with swine flu. A friend of mine called from Arizona Friday. She has been in the hospital for a week with meningitis

A good teaching tool for children is: www.germywormy.com

HAVING FUN WITH MY TEAPOT AND STARBUCKS MUG COLLECTION

2009-08-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

I just love to keep my collectibles in good condition. I just dust and wash them often. But the costs are a bit too high. With the recession going on, I have had to cut down on my purchases.

But I am addicted to them, and just can't help buying them. I have to keep an eye on them though, because I am missing a few, and can't keep checking my inventory after everyone visits.

PRESIDENT OBAMA : PUT THE HEALTH PLAN ONLINE !!!

2009-08-15T23:16:00.000-07:00

I think the president should put the health plan online for everyone in the U S that wants to know if this plan follows the constitution. People out there are showing their ignorance by not knowing that social security and medicare are some form of socialized medicine.

One lady looked so foolish when she was questioned by the Hardball show about these topics and she didn't know. She didn't think that medi cal and social security should be abolished. She said her parents were nearing the age when they would be eligible for these programs.

If the president wants transparancy on the health plan, everyone should have a copy of it available to them so they do not have to depend on their represenative, who is probably looking at the same sound bites for cable shows.

WILL THE G20 KICK THE G8 TO THE CURB ?

2009-08-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

The group of eight industrialized powers are now ineffectual in the worldwide financial crises, according to researchers and international affairs experts.

The G8 consiste of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan ,Russia and the United States. But the G8 depends on the G20 which includes Argentina, Brazil, China, India and South Africa.

Richard Portes, a researcher at the London School of Economics said "no substantive results have come out of the G8 for years. Portes said the G8 has become irrelevant. Barry Echengreen at UC Berkely said reform of the IMF could not be done without China, the largest reserve holder.

Kumor of the Indian Research Council said there should be a G4 , Japan, China, The United States, and the European Union.

WHY THE RIGHT DOESN'T WANT SOTOMAYOR TO BE A JUSTICE

2009-08-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

The right didn't want Sotomayor confirmed because she is going to cause a lot of work. She is not going to sit like a knot on a log for thirty or forty years and just say "I agree with Justice ---.

She has written thousands of papers and will likely write thousands more. It is not likely that she will pass on anything that crosses her desk without interpreting it according to law.

Now she has someone to spar with. Justice Alito. I was disappointed with Justice Alito when he made a ruling on the William Osborne case vs Alaska.

The court ruled that prisoners have no constitutional right to DNA testing that might prove their innocence. The case before the court concerned Alaska which has no DNA testing laws.

Justice John Paul Stevens said the constitution's due process clause required Mr. William G. Osborne to have access to DNA evidence in his case. He was convicted in 1994 of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a prostitute in Anchorage.

Only 4 states- Alabama, Alaska, Massachusetts and Oklahoma do not have the DNA testing law. Prosecutors often fight hard to deny prisoners access to DNA evidence. No prisoner has ever obtained DNA evidence for testing in Alaska.

Justice Alito, Kennedy and Thomas agreed with the appeals court that the testing be denied. Alito said "prisoners would be given a right to rummage through the state's genetic-evidence locker", and DNA "often fails to provide absolute proof of anything" .

The legal community is eagerly awaiting for the sparks to fly between those two. The innocence Project is working with Mr. Osborne to try to obtain his DNA testing.

A CHINESE TOWN IS QUARANTINED AFTER A DEADLY PLAGUE OUTBREAK

2009-08-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

The town is in a Tibetan area in north-west China. It was sealed off after two of its residents died from pneumonic plague, according to reports from the local government and state media.

Ziketan town in Qinghai province was put under quarantine when lab tests showed it had been struck by the highly virulent disease, as reported by the Qinghai health bureau.

A 32-year-old herdsman had died from the plaque, while 11 others had been diagnosed with it. Ziketan, which is located in the Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, had enough supplies to get by on its own for the time being, the health bureau stated, giving no indication of when the quarantine would be lifted.

The health bureau urged people who had visited Ziketan on or after July 16Th to seek immediate help if they developed coughing or fever. Pneumonic plague spreads through the air, making it easier to contract than bubonic plague, which requires that a person is bitten by an infected flea.

It is also more lethal, with a fatality rate of up to 100 percent if left untreated, compared with 60 per cent for bubonic plaque.