The Watercooler for 11/07/09 1:00 AM

We just watched the Bill Maher show with Alan Grayson, Tweetie and Alec Baldwin as guests.  Yay for Grayson!!!

Maher is correct that docs tend to over-prescribe clinical tests because they don't follow evidence-based, best practice guidelines.  This is NOT, however, a major cause of out of control health care costs.  Major contributors:

1) We need better ongoing wellness programs.

2) No continuum of care...if every American had an electronic medical record that could be accessed at any point of care location, an ER, a clinic, essentially anywhere a patient walks in for care, a doctor could make a better decision on how to treat.

These two points were raised by my partner who is a published medical researcher so this is a highly qualified, informed, educated opinion.  (no bias on my part, of course;)

 That one sentence kinda might have folks thinking that you'd think our president would escalate the wars to appease the fallout from the actions of a mentally ill person.  That's kind of far fetched, dontcha think?  Knowing the man, can you really believe that?

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Of course I don't believe that!  Nor did I say that.  Let's hope the country doesn't fall into the same fear of Muslims that it did after 9/11.  If this is deemed a terrorist attack, which it wasn't......

I don't think Obama wants to escalate, but I think his State Dept and generals and Rahm do want that...IMO they will look for a reason and if the country falls into paranoia and blood lust again, they may get their way.  Obama is staying cool and hopefully that will keep the country calm and still wanting out of the ME.  Can you imagine what the troops ready to be deployed soon are going thru?  Frankly, I would like to see the whole base just say ENUF, NO, we're not going.

In gen'l, the country is very on edge, frightened and easily manipulated.

That said, I had a great time dancing, thank you for wishing that for me.

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And Al Gore looked fabulous last night.

Imagine Charters get 11 million from Duncan. CEO sent email on how to control school boards.

Posted by madfloridian in General Discussion
Sat Nov 07th 2009, 03:21 AM

This is the charter school system that has received 11 million dollars this year from Arne Duncan's Race to the Top stimulus money. More on the email sent by Dennis Bakke, the CEO below, but first a look at all the money they are getting.

From Schools Matter:

Imagine Charter Schools Receive $11,000,000 from Duncan's Stimulus Fund

Sylvia Smith, the Journal Gazette's Washington editor, has been doing a little digging of her own. Dennis Bakke, who has the lead role in the investigative piece reported below by Soderland and Stockman is getting fabulously wealthy from Federal education dollars, with no oversight, no accountability, no scientific evidence, no local control, and with the blessings of the President and his Sec. of Ed. Amazing and all true.

"WASHINGTON – Imagine charter schools in seven states and the District of Columbia have received more than $11 million from the federal stimulus program this year.

Including $971,950 sent to Imagine schools in Fort Wayne and $493,689 given to Imagine schools in Indianapolis, facilities throughout the country received a share of the stimulus money that was funneled through state education departments.

No continuum of care...if every American had an electronic medical record that could be accessed at any point of care location, an ER, a clinic, essentially anywhere a patient walks in for care, a doctor could make a better decision on how to treat.

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very true and if every American had an electronic medical record the insurance companies could easily sort through the 30 million Americans who will now be forced to buy health insurance by Congress and triple their profits

I'm signing off to watch the taped "Ugly Betty."   And it's late.

It would appear Arne Duncan is turning into a public school nightmare...and with our tax dollars.  I didn't like him when he was chosen, and like him even less now.   Poor choice for Sec/Ed.  Poor for us, good for the Money Party.  :-(

Few good dems; no more decent repugs, just the Bi-Polar/War/Money Party.

I'm thinking the only way to stop this is for the middle class to stop paying taxes and for progressives to stop funding 99% of dems; just stop already.  And if repugs are then elected, they won't be able to do much w/o our tax  dollars. 

At this point, I see no other way to get our country back, short of violence, which I don't advocate.

But a national tax strike...............!!!  :-)

Too extreme?  lol

my favorite wingnut and I were having a conversation about Ft. Hood and he too said they should kick all the muslims out of the military

they will use any event to gin up the fear, have for years now

thanks for the warning seashell

the new wingnuttiest twist on secret muslim Obama is that Hasan was on his transition team and it is an Administration plot

I don't call them wingnuts for nothing.

but if they can get a sheeple stampede of 6-8% to turn and run for protection to the arms of the right they win a midterm landslide so will attempt to use the incident

one is not being hysterical to note this

I'm still on savings time because my cows want the same old same old first feeding and are resisting change

one of these nights I'm going to get my extra hour but will use it combining

1. "The hour and a half just before sunrise, a time-span considered the most auspicious for daily spiritual practices." 
   
2.                                         
   

brahma-muhurt