The Flu

So yet again the "flu" has risen it's nasty little head here in our home. My son now has it and unfortunately will miss this whole week of school. Missing school is no big deal as far as I am concerned since I know he can easily make up the work but...big but here....he had to go to the doctor to receive a note to say "yep---he's really sick, Mom isn't lying." At the cost of my co-pay since I am a lucky one and have insurance.
So I had to make an appointment...drive there...spend time waiting...and then shell out the co-pay all so my son's school will believe he was sick. Idiotic isn't it?
Of course the Doctor seemed offended when I told him we were there only for the note and that I already knew my son had the flu. How did I know that I was asked. Why...because I and some of my neighbors have had it. "Well," he says "we will have to check for ourselves."
So they did---with a very large Qtip up his nose and a vial of some sort of "flu detector" stuff.
Five minutes later we are given the big negative about my son having flu along with a script for prescription cough medicine we don't need. Of course the Dr doesn't guess as to what it might be and I....ever the suspicious person especially when your a jerk to me ....decided to go home and do a bit of research on this supposed "test".
With just a bit of quick internet looking I find these nice little facts easily enough that the Doctor didn't mention to me (maybe I seemed to stupid to understand or need explanation):
*Detectable Influenza virus is only shed the first day or two of symptoms and very hard to distinguish after that (my son has been sick 7 days now) Hence---testing is most accurate and best done during this time.
*These supposed "rapid in office tests" are only 70% accurate with nasal swabbing and less so with throat swabbing even during the shedding period.
* The FDA itself also says that these tests are only moderately to reasonably accurate depending on the time of year----very early flu season testing and very late flu season testing equals less accuracy. (This is late in the flu season isn't it??)
* Lastly---the Doctor must also use his BRAIN and consider how his local has been affected by the flu to help with his diagnosis.

Is this all I can ever expect from the medical field for the rest of my life? Is there no doctor out there that can think for himself and believes (truly believes) that you don't need a script for everything and that you only need to see him if you are really really sick??

Lastly---I thought about balking about this and telling the school board that though I was a lucky enough person to have insurance what exactly did they require from someone without it? That I personally wasn't going to buy into it and what the hell where they going to do about it? Kick my son out of school?
Originally when I called the dr's office I was going to just pay cash (thinking a quick visit for a note would be simple enough) but they told me it would be at least.....get this...a $100 but probably more. That included the 30% discount I got for not having or paying with insurance. Hah!
This is bureaucratic bull crap in the highest form. Both the Doctor, the test and the school requirements.

I think I was born in the wrong century or something. Thanks for letting me gripe.

The Bad AND the Good

Well, if you have read my blog at all over time you know that I am absolutely against the "little things" that smack of government monitoring.
As most have probably heard the rules for passports have changed and ALL travelers leaving the U.S (or entering it) need to now have one. Of course we can all see how that could potentially lead to abuse with the wrong power structure in place. And it is our responsibility in a Democracy to keep the little things from building into large things---which sometimes can take years and years to come to an "abusive head".

However---one golden lining that seems to have come about from the desire of the government to document all people with passports is the collection of child support.

Here is the article.

Now I will tell you a bit about myself that has to do with this situation. Not only was my mother a women who raised a child alone, but my father refused to pay child support. He told my mother he would pay it if she would not go to college. It took my mother fifteen years and the death of my grandfather to be able to "attach" onto the money my father inherited and get her fair share.

Fast forward. My daughter, who has been raised almost exclusively by my current LONG TERM husband :-D had her biological father try to avoid his "fair share" at one time. We had to take him to court to get it. In his case he did actually pay---but pretended that he made far far FAR less than he did. We had lowered it when he had a few health problems on the condition he would pay correctly when all was well again. Well, let's just say he didn't follow his end of the agreement as well as I did mine. He also let my current husband pay for plane tickets, medical and dental and many other things too. Bum. By the way---the bum worked in the family business along with all the other members of his family.
To give credit where credit is do---he did pay every month and I always knew I was lucky compared to many women who got nothing. Nada. Zippo.

As I read the article the part where they talk of the man who "borrows" $50,000 from his parents really got me. Both my own grandparents knew of my father's lack of payment AND my daughter grandparents (who are very very wealthy) also knew. Neither set did one thing to help. They didn't "disown" their sons, nor did they offer a bit of financial help their selves.
Now I decided long ago that if my son (or daughter) did that to their children---not only would I not speak to them until they corrected the situation but I also would not allow them to be in my will. I would also do what I could to help. Just the simple fact of buying school & summer clothing and shoes makes a huge impact on the ability of the family to function on lower amounts of money. Helping with dental and medical care also helps immensely.
WHY does society allow men (and some women though men are the majority) get away with this? We as neighbors, friends, family, bosses and co workers should tell these people that we won't tolerate this. These are CHILDREN we are speaking of----humans who do not have the ability to change their situation. I ask you that the next time you hear of this type of situation that you say or do something to show that you don't agree with this. I know it's "socially hard" to speak out. I also know that men talk about it all the time---"locker room talk" so to speak. So, the next time you hear this kind of chatter----say something to these dead beats please. They deserve an ear full. Bums.

Everyone have a great rest of the week. I will be taking some special pictures over the next few days and look forward to showing them to you. It will be about a week though so here's to GOOD WEATHER for all during that time :-D Rain rain rain rain for me!!!! Please?

Indoctrinating--Oops, I mean TEACHING our children

In a moment of web searching while my husband worked from home on a Saturday morning (work so un excusably interjected itself into our morning tea/coffee time) I stumbled on this article about oil companies giving money to The National Science Teachers Assoc. I actually found it through The Conscious Earth's blog (thank you Odiyya) from the Friday Dec. 9th posting. O.K--I have to admit I was amazed. And even very saddened. I think I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. A comment that Phelan made to me the other day about how she didn't feel we would be able to stop NAIS, but she was going to keep trying as hard as she could and now this, has me feeling a bit down :-( Some days I just feel more empowered than others.
Recently I read somewhere a comment that was made about left (oops that's a right slant ) leaning people and how they are not taken seriously because the majority of people think they are "loopy". What is it with "middle" leaning people hiding their heads in the sand though? Maybe I am a bit loopy but when are people going to wake up and smell the coffee? When they have to register to get it? If you hide it won't effect you? Some people I know are like that ---but look at the head way the right and the extreme religious made in the last four years. (yes, just four years) It's extremely scary sometimes. We can't keep hiding our head in the sand hoping someone else will write our representatives or vote them out.
Unfortunately I have to admit I am as guilty as others in the case of the Science Teachers. Call me an idiot for not seeing it but I just never never thought a government run entity like education would be so "bought". Sounds dumb now that I write it out doesn't it? How about naive? I guess we all have our moments but I have to admit---since school is so "local" I never really saw it. You know it's the whole---I KNOW those people teaching my kids kind of thing. And before we get into the ---"that's why I home school my children" I would like to say that IS part of the reason why we home schooled our two children. I am enough of a conspiracy theorist to believe that schools do actually indoctrinate our children. But I always saw it more of a "Class get in line please" so that it would translate into "Stand in line over here and keep the assembly line moving so the big BOSS can get rich" or "Just do it BECAUSE I know what is right and I said so---don't think for yourself" kind of thing. I never saw the public school system as actually being bought out as is indicated in the article. Yes, I understand the whole religion in school thing seems very similar ---but I always equated that as a different thing than oil vs global warming, I mean it IS religion not weather for goodness sakes. (Just for reference on this subject I am actuality a Christian BUT I completely believe the founding father's didn't want religion in our schools or government or courts. They wrote most succinctly about that subject and I agree wholeheartedly. I think it is up to every individual to teach their child what they believe about religion and for others to allow and respect that. Jesus didn't twist any arms or make laws for them to follow.)
But to have "big business" in our schools!?!? I have to admit I am flabbergasted and will have to make a point of saying more on this subject to people I know. And you know what else---I think I will buy an "Inconvenient Truth" and donate it to my local library. Maybe the school library will even take one---I will ask them next week.

What does the word "meme" mean?

Well Katie from Simple Katie has sent out a "meme" challenge today. Technically I have no idea what a meme is...but I understand the gist of it. She would like people to list 15 favorite books. Now in putting my list together I may actually forget some of my favorite books but here is a good sampling. (These are favorites---not necessarily what I have read recently)

1. The Elvis Cole series by Robert Crais (The Monkey's Raincoat is the first one) genre: murder/mystery
2. 101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith---this is the original, no Disney retelling here.
3. The Contrary Farmer--Gene Logsdon---very funny author and good story. genre: organic agriculture
4. Harry Potter Series--J.K. Rowling. I don't care what others say.....I love this series.
5. The Giant Jam Sandwich --John Vernon Lord. This is a classically good little kids book.
6. The Painted House--John Grisham. This is actually the only one of his I really liked
7. The Hobbit--J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the rings series is O.K but this is the best one)
8. Redwall series --Brian Jacques (so many you can get tired of them and have to pause)
9 The Swiss Family Robinson--Johann Wyss
10. The New Organic Gardener --Elliot Coleman
11. Four-Season Harvest--Elliot Coleman
12.Timeline --Micheal Crichton (better than the movie)
13. Cheaper by the Dozen --Frank Gilbreth (much better than the movie)
14. The Green Mile--Stephen King (movie was close but book was better) Only Stephen King I ever made it through
15. Ben and Me--Robert Lawson
extra: Ralph the Mouse series --Beverly Cleary

Yes, some of these are kids books --but I like children's books. They are fun and not to serious. They are absolutely the best when read out loud at bed time for many nights or weeks in a row.