My daughter, Naci, and I went to 110 in the Shade last week. It was so enjoyable I didn't even realize how late it was when we left. (I've been guilty of sleeping through some productions.) One of the lead roles, File, was played by one of my world's favorite people, Travis Cox and Lizzy was played by his own wife, Whitney. I'm never disappointed while watching them perform and this one was even more of a treat as it was a musical. I found the scenery to be great...the moon looked real, the story was meaningful, and the rain was refreshing!
I hope lots of you took the opportunity to see the play.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
A day late...here ya go, Kate.
I got on the computer yesterday with full intent of getting this done but got caught up in email and such until I just forgot until now.
I was headed into the vast sphere of Health Care Reform or Universal Health Care. I think I've narrowed it to something like:
What is going to be the impact of Universal Healthcare on the job market?
So I'd be considering things that might effect jobs that include doctors, nurses, insurance agents and adjusters, etc.
Let me know if you've got great ideas to help out.
(Again, sorry I missed yesterday.
I was headed into the vast sphere of Health Care Reform or Universal Health Care. I think I've narrowed it to something like:
What is going to be the impact of Universal Healthcare on the job market?
So I'd be considering things that might effect jobs that include doctors, nurses, insurance agents and adjusters, etc.
Let me know if you've got great ideas to help out.
(Again, sorry I missed yesterday.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
TWO ways a woman can get hurt?
I really appreciated reading in print the way I've felt about much of what I've seen for many years. Jean Kilbourne hit the nail right on the head with her no nonsense way of getting to the point in her article, Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt.
While I realize that her title is refering specifically to an advertisement, she really understated the ways a woman can get hurt. I found her article intriguing, one that you can't put down. I guess I live in a somewhat sheltered life, and I can't even imagine what goes on in some places in the world. But the way that the media is "normalizing" this kind of behavior and treatment of one another is demoralizing!
I was shocked and disgusted by the adds placed in her article, and this is just a smattering of what is out there. Not only does it leave me feeling sickened, but somewhat helpless. How can simple people with standards combat huge companies who are only after the big buck (not THAT big buck, Swen). And the worst of the repercussions is yet to come as the future generations are bombarded with this ever increasing cancer.
And to think, it all started with, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
Jean Kilbourne...you go girl!
While I realize that her title is refering specifically to an advertisement, she really understated the ways a woman can get hurt. I found her article intriguing, one that you can't put down. I guess I live in a somewhat sheltered life, and I can't even imagine what goes on in some places in the world. But the way that the media is "normalizing" this kind of behavior and treatment of one another is demoralizing!
I was shocked and disgusted by the adds placed in her article, and this is just a smattering of what is out there. Not only does it leave me feeling sickened, but somewhat helpless. How can simple people with standards combat huge companies who are only after the big buck (not THAT big buck, Swen). And the worst of the repercussions is yet to come as the future generations are bombarded with this ever increasing cancer.
And to think, it all started with, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
Jean Kilbourne...you go girl!
Playing 20 questions
I'm leaning toward the aspect of universal health care in the health care field. Twenty questions that might lead to better delving into the subject...(this is gonna be difficult, I think.)
1. How much is health care costing companies who provide now?
2. How much will these companies save or spend in a universal health care system?
3. Are insurance companies going to benefit or be hurt in such a system?
4. Will individual be able to choose their own doctors or have to choose from whoever is available at the time?
5. Will the quality of care be diminished?
6. Will the medical profession be as sought after as it is now? Or, 7. Will people prefer other professions because of lack of control over their own clientele?
8. Will the wealthy still recieve the preferred treatment while the poorer patients receive poorer treatment?
9. Will health care be available when people are in need or will the line be so long that they have to wait inconceivable periods of time?
10. Will families be able to receive treatment from the same doctor for everyone if they choose, or from different doctors for different members of the family if they'd rather?
11. Who stands to gain the most from the proposed system?
12. Who stands to lose the most?
13. How long will it take to implement this system?
14. How much will it cost to get this whole thing started?
15. Where will the funds for this come from?
16. Is it really effective where it is being used now?
17. What other alternatives have been considered?
18. Who makes the ultimate decisions about what parts will be used and what parts will be changed?
19. Will there be job security for those already in the health care business?
20. Will it really make America a healthier place to live?
1. How much is health care costing companies who provide now?
2. How much will these companies save or spend in a universal health care system?
3. Are insurance companies going to benefit or be hurt in such a system?
4. Will individual be able to choose their own doctors or have to choose from whoever is available at the time?
5. Will the quality of care be diminished?
6. Will the medical profession be as sought after as it is now? Or, 7. Will people prefer other professions because of lack of control over their own clientele?
8. Will the wealthy still recieve the preferred treatment while the poorer patients receive poorer treatment?
9. Will health care be available when people are in need or will the line be so long that they have to wait inconceivable periods of time?
10. Will families be able to receive treatment from the same doctor for everyone if they choose, or from different doctors for different members of the family if they'd rather?
11. Who stands to gain the most from the proposed system?
12. Who stands to lose the most?
13. How long will it take to implement this system?
14. How much will it cost to get this whole thing started?
15. Where will the funds for this come from?
16. Is it really effective where it is being used now?
17. What other alternatives have been considered?
18. Who makes the ultimate decisions about what parts will be used and what parts will be changed?
19. Will there be job security for those already in the health care business?
20. Will it really make America a healthier place to live?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
David Lee's Poetry
Storm of Silence (The Poetry Reader)
Outside the sirens call out, I’m coming, help is on the way.
I leave it there, outside, with the brisk spring breeze
to carry the sound to anothers' ears who may want to listen.
But here I sit, legs and feet wrapped tightly, trying to hold cold at bay,
here I sit in a hot desert storm. I smell the rain. I feel the heat.
His words roll in heavy, like the storm in his hands.
He reads with arms flailing, fingers knarled or stretched tight
Emphasizing each phrase with pointed voice and tone
A choreographed song
A rhapsody of emotion.
I could close my eyes and feel the steam on my face
but I would miss the illustrations. I watch, unblinking
Mesmerized by the lightening, awaiting the thunder,
Ominous.
His poem is looming in the clouds, hanging low
Anticipating…waiting, silent.
It begins with a single word, dripping carefully
onto anxious ears
Then another and another.
The storm rages full,
all of the jumbled letters squish together
Forming huge drops of words
Raining down in sheets as though a thesaurus
Evaporated, was captured by the torrent
and escaped, gushing undisciplined upon our unsuspecting heads.
No umbrella to shield. No need. The torrential drench
feels…good,
fills souls.
His thick eyebrows building lines in his forehead
Line upon line, rising and falling
like the ebb and flow, the waves of words
Flooding, unstoppable down the gully,
Falling deep into the caverns between the rocks
Rising high, with a gush of power, climbing the cliff,
it’s ascent stopped abruptly, with a crash,
slapping painfully and holding tight to the sheer, steep side.
Sliding, defeated, clawing at the debris to bring like a souvenir
back to the traveling wall. Pacing.
It turns and bends, seeking the floor of the dry valley.
He bows. I can breathe again.
Is it fair to feed us dessert and not the meal?
One more poem? One more verse?
One more line? One more title?
One more bite?
Alas, no. For there is no quenching the thirst
of a dry desert.
The rain fell too fast.
The storm moved along,
was gone.
Patti Tippetts
Outside the sirens call out, I’m coming, help is on the way.
I leave it there, outside, with the brisk spring breeze
to carry the sound to anothers' ears who may want to listen.
But here I sit, legs and feet wrapped tightly, trying to hold cold at bay,
here I sit in a hot desert storm. I smell the rain. I feel the heat.
His words roll in heavy, like the storm in his hands.
He reads with arms flailing, fingers knarled or stretched tight
Emphasizing each phrase with pointed voice and tone
A choreographed song
A rhapsody of emotion.
I could close my eyes and feel the steam on my face
but I would miss the illustrations. I watch, unblinking
Mesmerized by the lightening, awaiting the thunder,
Ominous.
His poem is looming in the clouds, hanging low
Anticipating…waiting, silent.
It begins with a single word, dripping carefully
onto anxious ears
Then another and another.
The storm rages full,
all of the jumbled letters squish together
Forming huge drops of words
Raining down in sheets as though a thesaurus
Evaporated, was captured by the torrent
and escaped, gushing undisciplined upon our unsuspecting heads.
No umbrella to shield. No need. The torrential drench
feels…good,
fills souls.
His thick eyebrows building lines in his forehead
Line upon line, rising and falling
like the ebb and flow, the waves of words
Flooding, unstoppable down the gully,
Falling deep into the caverns between the rocks
Rising high, with a gush of power, climbing the cliff,
it’s ascent stopped abruptly, with a crash,
slapping painfully and holding tight to the sheer, steep side.
Sliding, defeated, clawing at the debris to bring like a souvenir
back to the traveling wall. Pacing.
It turns and bends, seeking the floor of the dry valley.
He bows. I can breathe again.
Is it fair to feed us dessert and not the meal?
One more poem? One more verse?
One more line? One more title?
One more bite?
Alas, no. For there is no quenching the thirst
of a dry desert.
The rain fell too fast.
The storm moved along,
was gone.
Patti Tippetts
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Using a Wider Socialogical Lens
I'm amazed at the power we've given to all of these influences mentioned in "Framing Class." I know that I've always been somewhat aware of the undeserving clout that these institutions bear, but I've never heard it put specifically into words and numbers.
It seems that the American people in general could use a course in critical thinking just like this one.
Sometimes I get really ticked about the amount of money that is spent in behalf of these "jobs" that are so outragiously paid. Take professional athletes, for instance. Allof this is propagated by us (the American people) because of the amount of importance we esteem it.
We have given people who influence and sway the attitude of the entire nation the power to tell us what to think and when to think it, based mostly on how much money they will make in deciding that for us. Ridiculous! Author, Diana Kenndall suggests the idea of civic journalism as the media being "more than neutral storytelling devices." I like the idea. What ever happened to bringing us the truth rather than finding a way to pad their pockets?
I was bothered also a lot by the less than positive connotation of this piece. It's not that I don't appreciate what Ms. Kendall saying, per say. I was disgruntled that we (a people as a whole) have ALLOWED it to happen. I'm grateful that there are forces out there trying to battle the process as it stands. I'm also glad that she's given the responsibility back to us to put things into perspective. I hope we're up to the challange and that these feelings of hoplessness disintegrate with greater results as time goes on.
It seems that the American people in general could use a course in critical thinking just like this one.
Sometimes I get really ticked about the amount of money that is spent in behalf of these "jobs" that are so outragiously paid. Take professional athletes, for instance. Allof this is propagated by us (the American people) because of the amount of importance we esteem it.
We have given people who influence and sway the attitude of the entire nation the power to tell us what to think and when to think it, based mostly on how much money they will make in deciding that for us. Ridiculous! Author, Diana Kenndall suggests the idea of civic journalism as the media being "more than neutral storytelling devices." I like the idea. What ever happened to bringing us the truth rather than finding a way to pad their pockets?
I was bothered also a lot by the less than positive connotation of this piece. It's not that I don't appreciate what Ms. Kendall saying, per say. I was disgruntled that we (a people as a whole) have ALLOWED it to happen. I'm grateful that there are forces out there trying to battle the process as it stands. I'm also glad that she's given the responsibility back to us to put things into perspective. I hope we're up to the challange and that these feelings of hoplessness disintegrate with greater results as time goes on.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The View Through the Eyes of Another
Having been a dining room supervisor once upon a time, I had some personal interpertations of the experience Barbara Ehrenreicht expressed in her story, Serving in Florida. I know that I have been blessed enough in life to have never experienced the depths of poverty or not having enough to get by. But I have learned some things in life through the experiences I have had:
1. People usually do the best they can at the time. If they could do better, they would. I think that sometimes people are limited by their education, of course. But as situations arise where they can make a choice that will improve things, they do it. One step at a time people evolve into what they decide, by the decisions they make. Some people are stuck in dead end jobs because they haven't been given the chance to change things, or they missed the chance when it was there. It is possible that it is where they want to be. And while I can't imagine existing for nothing more than to pay the bills for the next month of life, if one has never done anything else, do they even miss it?
2. Much of the time they don't know how to do better, or maybe, that there is anything better. When a person has functioned at the same level their entire life, it may be where they are comfortable. If someone lives in a small trailer or apartment, and always has, do they miss the comforts of a jaccuzi, or hot tub, or large spacious yard, or plenty of floor space in a oversized house? Maybe not. These things could all appear cumbersome to a person with so little time, things that require time, maintainance, and work. Possibly they appreciate commodities such as time, money, and possesions more than the rest of us.
3. Often, people without choices or options learn to be happy with what they have. Like we discussed with the poem Seven Floors Up, Sometimes people choose the lifestyle that makes them happiest, even though we, through our limited vision, can not understand the decision. Our country, such as it is right now, couldn't even function without those in the service industry. When I go to a restaraunt, I expect someone to wait on me. When I stay at a hotel, I expect someone to clean up after me. They will be treated respectfully, and their service will be appreciated. Shouldn't those people be able to take pride in their job just as much as the lawyers, doctors, and teachers? They may not get paid like those who have gone to school and received a degree in one thing or another, but they should be able to hold their head up when a job is well done.
I have had a plethora of jobs in my days. I was a maid as a very young teenager. I worked at A&W after that. At some point I started work at a local bakery and ended up marrying the bakers son. (I worked there way tooooo long.) I was fortunate enough at that point to be able to quit working and raise my family for many years until just before my divorce, when I had to return to the working class again. I started over again as a homemaker for home health. I then was offered a job as a server in a retirement community. That rolled over into the dining room supervisor. I stayed there until I got a job for 2 years as a cook for the preschool where I have now taught for nearly 11 years. I've never been embarrassed about a job. Rather, I enjoy whatever it is I've been given the opportunity to do; building new friendships, gaining new skills, learning about what makes businesses tick. Some jobs have exhausted me and I was grateful to leave them behind for something new, while others caused some heart ache when my time was up.
I don't think Ms. Ehrenreicht gained any kind of an accurate view of the life she discribed. It was her view as a priviledge lady trying to experience something that had no baring on her life, because she could, and would, walk away. These jobs were life to these people. She even discribed it well; the waitress that was thrilled when her boss gave her permission to park the truck in which she was living in the parking lot, the foreign boy who whithered away at the prospect of losing his job. These people needed their job whereas she just wanted an experience to compare to her life. Her view was distorted by a reality that had never been experience by this class of people. She has, however, an amazing talent of painting a picture and using words to create emotion in her readers.
I liked and agreed with Chance (I think it was) who talked a lot about how circumstance is often the dictator of our life. While I'm a huge advocate of education (duh, I teach), not everyone has the opportunity to gain an education. Those who do gain an education don't always use it to their advantage, while others who didn't get a degree of any sort make great money at a profession that suits them fine.
I guess what I'm saying is...it's all attitude.
1. People usually do the best they can at the time. If they could do better, they would. I think that sometimes people are limited by their education, of course. But as situations arise where they can make a choice that will improve things, they do it. One step at a time people evolve into what they decide, by the decisions they make. Some people are stuck in dead end jobs because they haven't been given the chance to change things, or they missed the chance when it was there. It is possible that it is where they want to be. And while I can't imagine existing for nothing more than to pay the bills for the next month of life, if one has never done anything else, do they even miss it?
2. Much of the time they don't know how to do better, or maybe, that there is anything better. When a person has functioned at the same level their entire life, it may be where they are comfortable. If someone lives in a small trailer or apartment, and always has, do they miss the comforts of a jaccuzi, or hot tub, or large spacious yard, or plenty of floor space in a oversized house? Maybe not. These things could all appear cumbersome to a person with so little time, things that require time, maintainance, and work. Possibly they appreciate commodities such as time, money, and possesions more than the rest of us.
3. Often, people without choices or options learn to be happy with what they have. Like we discussed with the poem Seven Floors Up, Sometimes people choose the lifestyle that makes them happiest, even though we, through our limited vision, can not understand the decision. Our country, such as it is right now, couldn't even function without those in the service industry. When I go to a restaraunt, I expect someone to wait on me. When I stay at a hotel, I expect someone to clean up after me. They will be treated respectfully, and their service will be appreciated. Shouldn't those people be able to take pride in their job just as much as the lawyers, doctors, and teachers? They may not get paid like those who have gone to school and received a degree in one thing or another, but they should be able to hold their head up when a job is well done.
I have had a plethora of jobs in my days. I was a maid as a very young teenager. I worked at A&W after that. At some point I started work at a local bakery and ended up marrying the bakers son. (I worked there way tooooo long.) I was fortunate enough at that point to be able to quit working and raise my family for many years until just before my divorce, when I had to return to the working class again. I started over again as a homemaker for home health. I then was offered a job as a server in a retirement community. That rolled over into the dining room supervisor. I stayed there until I got a job for 2 years as a cook for the preschool where I have now taught for nearly 11 years. I've never been embarrassed about a job. Rather, I enjoy whatever it is I've been given the opportunity to do; building new friendships, gaining new skills, learning about what makes businesses tick. Some jobs have exhausted me and I was grateful to leave them behind for something new, while others caused some heart ache when my time was up.
I don't think Ms. Ehrenreicht gained any kind of an accurate view of the life she discribed. It was her view as a priviledge lady trying to experience something that had no baring on her life, because she could, and would, walk away. These jobs were life to these people. She even discribed it well; the waitress that was thrilled when her boss gave her permission to park the truck in which she was living in the parking lot, the foreign boy who whithered away at the prospect of losing his job. These people needed their job whereas she just wanted an experience to compare to her life. Her view was distorted by a reality that had never been experience by this class of people. She has, however, an amazing talent of painting a picture and using words to create emotion in her readers.
I liked and agreed with Chance (I think it was) who talked a lot about how circumstance is often the dictator of our life. While I'm a huge advocate of education (duh, I teach), not everyone has the opportunity to gain an education. Those who do gain an education don't always use it to their advantage, while others who didn't get a degree of any sort make great money at a profession that suits them fine.
I guess what I'm saying is...it's all attitude.
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