YouTube Blog: Your Questions for President Obama

Ah, the growing power and significance of Social Media ... Twitter ... Linked-In ... Facebook ... Flickr ... YouTube ... Blogger ... SlideShare ... I believe it trumped conventional politics to make all the difference in the past Presidential election! I marvel at how it's grown since I onboarded twelve years ago as an online message board poster in a fan community for a TV show called Prey. I eventually became a webmaster myself and set up various sites and message boards. I was so amazed when the desktop computer I got to do homework and balance the checkbook morphed into a powerful communication tool before my eyes. But that's another story...

Anyway, in investigating Social Media as a networking tool for my job hunt this new year, I came across these (unrelated) links & thought I'd share! YouTube is pretty excited about them and with good reason ...

• YouTube Blog: Your Questions for President Obama
• You Tube Users Grill Obama

 Enjoy!

JuneBug

On the Clock Advice

A lot of my posts - and a sub-theme of this blog - revolve around the job-hunt. When I got a job I thought it would be interesting to switch to on-the-job topics. But when you start a new job, you generally get very busy and ... well ... good intentions ... you know how that goes ...

Now I'm on the hunt again - but I did come across this helpful article by Mary Pratt from Computer World for those who are on the clock and I wanted to share it. The comments are pertinent too.

Your Tech Career: How to Cope with an Unsupportive Boss

Lately I've been reading a lot of career advice articles, and I frequently come across the observation or statistic that more people report being dissatisfied with their jobs than ever before. So I hope this will help those of you who are restless with your on-the-clock. :)

June Bug

Great State of the Union Address Last Night, President Obama! :D

State of the Union Address 2010

Now I too am reinvigorated and hopeful for our county's future!

Insurance Companies Back Health Care Reform?

Locals Rally for Health Care Reform

I attended a local Health Care Rally (sponsored by Move On, Yes We Can Tippecanoe from Organizing for America, and the Lafayette Peace Coalition) outside our courthouse yesterday. BRRRR! I thought it went really well - passers-by seemed supportive and receptive. And boy are my arms sore from holding a sign high above my head for half an hour to be more visible to folks driving by .... (I'm the gal in black in the picture below and I really need to get more exercise) ...

Ages of participants ranged from 13 years old to 94 years old - and the local tv reporters were there and featured us on the evening news! (By the way, the 13 year old is an avid activist as well as a home schooler and I admire his mom for making this event part of his education.) I also admired his astute sense of humor. At times we chanted slogans (to help keep warm as much as anything - hee), so after a few rounds of, "We want healthcare," he suddenly switched to, "I feel stupid!" I had to laugh - an unlikely collection of demonstrators, we all looked a bit uncomfortable out there in the freezing elements - but we were all willing to push past our comfort zones to support health care reform. Unfortunately Evan Bayh wasn't willing to push past his. His response was disappointing, out of touch, and ... clueless? Well, at least as Channel 18 reported it.

And thanks to the lovely lady from Lafayette Office Supply who, wearing no coat over a silky blouse with sheer sleeves, gingerly made her way across the street to invite us all in to warm up with coffee, tea, and hot chocolate! Just wrapping my frozen fingers around the steaming styrofoam cup warmed me up all over! Except for the frozen toes. ;)

I did learn something interesting while talking to one of my colleagues at the rally. He had read an article in an insurance industry trade journal. Apparently insurance companies are fast losing their customers.  The first wave of baby boomers are reaching the age of medicare eligibility. On top of that, massive unemployment and job loss has made health care insurance unaffordable for many. Also employers are dropping coverage because they cannot afford to provide it. So apparently the insurance companies are looking to health care reform and the government to guarantee them $30 million or billion in revenue or whatever! As a result, we may see more Republicans supporting health care ...

Just a heads up - and keep warm out there!

June Bug

What Next for Health Care Reform? A Progressive Caucus Poll

The Progressive Congress seems to have a very sane approach - they are asking for suggestions and ideas to feed back to Congress about what to do next about Health Care Reform. Here's a link to people's responses so far:

http://feedback.progressivecongress.org/forums/38781-what-s-next-for-health-care-reform-jan-20-2010/activity.atom

I thought the comments were varied and helpful. It helps to have a thoughtful discussion in a democracy. Which you can't do if only one voice is talking. Or if people are simply throwing party lines at one another. Only with a thoughtful discussion can we truly get to know one another and begin to see what our options are!

I participated in the calling in Massachusetts, and while it was an interesting experience, I'm not sure it was an effective way to campaign. It really sounds like the Democratic candidate should have done her homework - and not fallen back on Organizing for America as a last-ditch campaign strategy. People don't like to be bombarded with sales pitches - whether it's a sales call or a campaign call or even a fund-raising campaign for a good cause. With today's technology, a lot of people let their answering machine take calls when they don't recognize a number. I know I do.

On the other hand, if someone legitimately needs to know when the poll is open, or where it is, or how to get a ride, or even that their vote is critically needed ... a brief message on the phone with some helpful information may be appreciated.

It's hard for the average joe/jane (like me) to understand the health care proposal. I know I found it a little disturbing when Physicans for a National Health Care Plan said they couldn't support it. Huh? They found it fatally flawed. Apparently the insurance and drug companies are going to make more money than ever.

Huh?

I thought the idea was to cut costs and make health care more accessible.

Okay. So now what are we supposed to do? Nothing? Well, I don't know about everybody else, but that won't fly with me. While I am grateful for last November's historic election, glad I voted for President Obama, and glad he won, health care reform was THE determining issue for us in picking a candidate. It would have also been a historic election if Hillary had been elected. And maybe, she could have gotten us a better health care bill. With her previous health care reform experience as First Lady, as well as her recent experience as the Senator from New York, I'll bet she would have been tremendously helpful! But instead she's running around as Secretary of State ...

Ah, well, I digress. Anyway, take a look at what fellow Americans think in the Progressive Congress poll.

JuneBug

Flowers from Summer Storms

Flowers from Summer Storms
Originally uploaded by Prey_Momma

Just testing the flickr interface

People age 55-64 find it hard to rebound from unemployment, but are the wave of the future?

Yes! Someone FINALLY noticed! I knew I wasn't alone - that if this was happening to me, there were others out there grappling with a similar dilemma!


Check out this article tweeted by heymarci:


http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/1421791.html


Thanks to reporter Cindy Krischer Goodman of the Miami Herald for noticing and for giving us a voice!

I lost a new job last April when I was 58. And while I have to accept some responsibility for allowing myself to be duped away from a two and a half year stable job to take a job that lasted only six weeks, shame shame shame on those who practice such irresponsible and hurtful hiring practices (all the while proclaiming they want to benefit community health and be seen as a premiere employer in the area)! I know it sounds harsh, but American workers are tiring of such corporate hypocrisy (and the growing wage disparities as well). After all, the only reason I started looking for a different job was because health care premiums had doubled, and I knew I had to find either a second job or more affordable benefits. But now, if it weren't for President Obama's ARRA discount, I wouldn't even have health care.

Seems as if management theory has been promoting more and more horrific management practices the past few year (and the propagators likely paid rather well, I might add) - but where do these ideas come from? In the eighties and nineties, participative management emerged as a management theory. It was both energizing and empowering. Along with more inclusive policies for women and minorities in the work place, it helped create opportunity, therefore it must have indirectly fostered economic growth. Like the GI Bill after World War II, it built the confidence of a generation. It encouraged exploration and new ideas. And then it disappeared. What ever happened to it? Of late, I really wonder if managers are turning to reality tv shows as their models. If this is truly the case, it does not improve life in the American workplace, needless to say, but rather seems just another way in the popular trend to be outrageous.

But perhaps I digress. Ageism is an age-old issue and it has touched all groups, whether privileged or marginalized. When I encounter ageism in the workplace, I just think, "May you also be blessed with health and long life. And don't you know you're looking at your future   - and don't you want to make it better?" And when that person is actually my age or older and hasn't a clue, I think, "There but for the grace of God go ...."

I hope we can get back on track and make the work place a better place for all Americans to work for future generations. A good place to start may be to join organizations like American Rights at Work (araw) and to support the Employee Free Choice Act. As well as putting some checks and balances on the abilities of individuals, corporations, and I suppose whole industries to buy our elected officials. Sigh. We have enough of that already. The current disparity of wealth in some cases is such that a single business entity or individual could "trump" the wishes of a whole democracy. And historically, human nature seems to favor the odds that they will. And if they do, will we still be truly free?

The second half of the title of Cindy's piece (that we may also be the wave of the future) is definitely more upbeat and hopeful - and that should give us incentive. :)




JuneBug

History of a Haitian Holocaust: Information Clearing House - ICH

Wow, here's an eye opener about Haiti and the relief effort. You'd think we'd learn from Katrina. We have trouble getting organized to respond timely to our own citizens!


History of a Haitian Holocaust : Information Clearing House - ICH

JuneBug

I wonder if our private groups and not-for-profits have been able to respond more quickly and effectively? It would be a good question to ask ...

Ron Paul: US has broken with reality, sanity, and rule of law; calls for "Revolutionary changes"

I really like Ron Paul. I think a lot of people do.

Ron Paul: US has broken with reality, sanity, and rule of law; calls for "Revolutionary changes"

Ron Paul: This Speaker Says It All

JuneBug

Posted using ShareThis

Job Seekers' New Year's Resolutions by Jobs.Com

Don't know if I agree with all of these, but it's a good start for a new year! With the clutter of the holidays behind us, and the pristine new year before us:

A Job Seeker's New Year's Resolutions by Kristin Bennett

Happy Job-Hunting!

JuneBug

How to Slum Your Period of Unemployment in Style - This Old Farmhouse Tour

Greetings again, everyone! Ever dreamed of living in a 100-year old house? Or of having a hobby farm? Or just plain curious what living in an older house might be like for modern day humans? Or looking for ways to spend your time and limited resources in a down economy - when you're not job-hunting, that is? Live history vicariously on This Old Farm House Tour!This recent period of unemployment has finally allowed me to finish moving in to our "new" house - and to write about the journey.

Enjoy!

digital image developed with Adobe Lightroom 2.5

This Old Farmhouse Tour

JuneBug

Checking in after getting my head above water!

Greetings! I feel like it's been awhile! I had good intentions - and several ideas for blog articles - during this summer of my unemployment - healthcare, the real economy vs the fake economy ... and then during August and September I got totally sidelined with fixing up and writing an article about my old farmhouse. And gardening, cleaning, and fall planting. Sigh. While I did write my congressmen and senators about supporting healthcare reform, I have yet to call them. However, I have written two letters to the editor and proffered a speck of financial support for the cause.

It's good to hear that the Senate has just come up with with a bill that includes a Public Option. (Actually, it's good to hear they came up with a bill period!)

Anyway ... I've also been working on the job search and cover letters and resume drafts. Online tools for job-hunting are getting a lot better - wouldn't that be a fun job? Designing online tools to facilitate job-hunting for folks?

So I hope to have some subjects for posting ... stay tuned!

JuneBug

Why I Support Health Care Reform

These are hard times. However for some Americans, it’s always been hard times. Back in the 80’s and 90’s when I had a good job in my field, my hair stylist contributed to my financial success by keeping me looking stylish, sharp, professional, and well-groomed. Only a few years older than me, she is passionate, talented, experienced, and devoted to her craft. She is good at what she does, and she has developed a loyal customer base. For years she has put in 60 and 70 hour weeks on her feet to take care of her customers and pay her bills and support her family. I used to feel bad because she didn't have access to an affordable comprehensive health care plan, or even sick leave or a pension plan all the while she was helping me to have all of those things. I felt especially bad when she had to leave her chosen field and even sell her home because of health problems and because she worried about a retirement income a few years ago. I have to wonder how many people in the health and beauty field have faced a similar dilemma. And yet what would we do without them?

Another person who has never had access to health care is my daughter. She has built her career and considerable expertise as a server and a cook in the hospitality industry on the east coast and locally. She has always had to pay any health care costs out of her own pocket or go without. Still in her early forties, she is a young and healthy woman. But what will happen to her when she reaches age fifty and beyond? She will certainly start to need more preventive healthcare services. I have to wonder how many people in the food service and hospitality industry face a similar dilemma. And what would we – and what would the American economy – do without them?

Recently I’ve come across hard times myself. This January my not-for-profit employer had to double its insurance premiums. I knew I either had to find a second job or look for a new job to be able to afford health care. I was incredibly thankful when an opportunity that looked good on the surface opened up with the new hospital. Although my previous employer wanted to keep me,I decided to go to work for the new hospital for better pay, better benefits, and an exciting opportunity to train clinicians on how to use their new electronic medical record software. Unfortunately the new hospital fired me after 8 weeks. Now, at age 59, I am without a job and any income. Initially my unemployment was denied. Of course I appealed and the State found in my favor – but it has been 4 months since I lost my job and as of this writing I still haven't received any unemployment compensation from the State. In the meantime, I’ve pretty much exhausted our savings and have had to cash out pension funds early to pay the bills – at a time when pension values are down and even though there could be a huge tax disadvantage. I can now understand the sense of abandonment the victims of Katrina must have experienced as they waited and waited while the people and institutions they thought they could count on never came to help them.

In my case I haven’t been waiting – I’ve been job-hunting and otherwise getting on with my life. But age 59 is a hard sell when you are a woman in the technology field with family to look after in the Lafayette area. Even if you look in Indianapolis. If it weren’t for President Obama’s 85% COBRA discount, I wouldn’t have health care. But so far I have been able to make the monthly payment because of it.

I have decided to share my story on this blog to add to the sheer mass of voices of people across the nation who need jobs and who need quality, timely, and affordable healthcare. Let’s face it – like the auto industry, the health care and insurance industry has had YEARS to address this problem. They have totally dropped the ball all the while increasing their own salaries and bonuses by orders of magnitude as they left the average American worker behind in the dust. It is time to solve this problem. The American people voted for Bill Clinton in 1993 because they wanted Health Care Reform. We watched as the focus shifted instead to balancing the budget. Then we watched another eight years as George Bush and the Republicans made a total farce of themselves, their party, their values, and the whole concept of balancing the budget – all the while evidently thinking that we the public are stupid or that we’ve forgotten.

Well we haven’t. We voted for Health Care sixteen years ago, and we are still waiting. My COBRA runs out 9 months from April. If I am still unemployed by then, I hope that the United States will have affordable, timely, quality health care options for me and anyone else who needs them.

JuneBug

Go see Julie and Julia - it's a Treasure!

The movie Julie and Julia will make even the lukewarm cook aspire to "Master the Art of French Cooking." Currently unemployed, I even checked out our local Good Will to see if there might be a copy languishing on the shelves. No such luck. This movie put it back on the best seller list.

Julie and Julia has something for all the generations. Not only about cooking, it's also about life, love, finding meaning and being heard, the political environment, family relationships, and parents and children. If you were alive during the period depicted by Julia Child's memoires, this movie will bring back memories. If you came along later - you'll find a lot of commonalities with history. And what blogger young or old couldn't relate to Amy Adams (aka Julie Powell) as she wonders if anyone is even reading her blog? Or what aspiring writer struggling to "birth" a best seller couldn't empathize with both "Julies"' efforts to get published? What woman who was ever "too" large or "too" tall or "too" whatever in any era won't relate to Meryl Streep and Jane Lynch as they depict the tall McWilliam sisters who came of age when the average height of American women was 5'4"? What woman couldn't empathize with Julia's sorrow at being childless and her quest to find something else to do with her life that could possibly be equally rewarding or as meaningful? What person who ever had a parent or who grew up in dysfunctional family or in the fractured disconnects of the 20th century won't chuckle or snicker at the interactions between the generations in this movie? (heck, my elderly mother and aunt practically dragged me to this movie kicking and screaming. I did not want to go - I thought I was too busy. But I went anyway - out of daughterly/niecely duty. Some people call it guilt.) And what person who ever had a nine to five with all that implies (or a 7 to 4, or 6 to 3, or a whatEVER) couldn't sympathize with Julie Powell? (Or with student Julia's struggles through French Cooking School with her headmistress from hell?) Yet both "Julies" manage to show us how to handle and even side step life's dead ends with creativity and grace.

The richness and the flavors of French cuisine permeate all aspects of this movie - it shows how far we've come and in some respects reminds us of what we've lost. In the end, it is as much about "mastering the art of living" as it is about "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." The performances are superb (special kudoes to Meryl Streep) - this movie is a treat in every way. Go see it! You won't be sorry! And a big thankyou to Nora Ephron and the creative team for bringing us this wonderful gift!

June Bug

Training the EMR: A Case-Based Perspective - The Patient's Point of View

Part Four of a Four-Part Series

I thought I had completed my 3 part series on Training the EMR:

• Training the EMR: A Case-Based Perspective
• Training the EMR: A Case-Based Perspective - Drilling Down
• Training the EMR: A Case-Based perspective - Best Practices and Training the
  Trainer

But then, as fate would have it, I landed back in the middle of it with an unexpected trip to the ER this summer.

Coming Full Circle

As noted previously in my blog, this winter I had an opportunity to work as an EMR trainer for a new hospital in our county. Before that I worked for two years at a local not-for-profit agency as their Grants and Compliance Specialist during which time I designed a grant reports tickler system to keep the agency compliant and our grantors happy. I enjoyed my job at the agency. The impetus to change occurred solely because of healthcare. In January insurance rates doubled - and I knew I would either have to find a second job, or find another job with more affordable benefits. I felt incredibly fortunate when the EMR trainer opportunity came along.

Unexpectedly, the position lasted only 8 weeks and I found myself in the unemployment line after several years of gainful employment. Even so working with the EMR was a great learning experience and opportunity to round out an area of my professional development - namely training and presentation skills (and learning an EMR). I ended up writing a four part series on Training the EMR. Another really cool thing is that recently I had an opportunity to bring what I learned back to the agency when they had me return to train my replacement.

A Lesson in History and Engineering

Okay, this email just forwarded by my mother is too good not to share. Don't know if it's accurate but kudoes to the author for a brilliant analysis!

INTERESTING HISTORY LESSON

Railroad track specifications and transportation. Definitely work related.

Be sure to read the final paragraph; your understanding of it will depend on the earlier part of the content.
_________________________________________

The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates built the US railroads.

Why did the English build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used. Why did 'they' use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing. Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in England, because that's the spacing of the wheel ruts.

So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (and England ) for their legions. The roads have been used ever since. And the ruts in the roads? Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Therefore the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot.

Bureaucracies live forever.

So the next time you are handed a specification/procedure/process and wonder 'What horse's ass came up with it?', you may be exactly right. Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses. (Two horse's asses.)

Now, the twist to the story:

When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRB's. The SRB's are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah. The eng who designed the SRB's would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRB's had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains, and the SRB's had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, asyou now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds. So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ass.

And you thought being a horse's ass wasn't important?

Ancient horse's asses control almost everything... and CURRENT Horses Asses are controlling everything else.

obtained from the internet - author unknown

JuneBug (hee hee. Haw! :D)

Kate and Annie have shedded out and are all brushed out - their behinds are looking pretty darn good these days!"

Training the EMR: A Case Based Perspective - Best Practices and Training the Trainer

Part Three of a Four-Part Series

It is estimated that only 5% of hospitals in the US have a completely electronic medical record system (EMR). Given this statistic and wide-spread public support for President Obama's healthcare reform initiative, the EMR is standing on the eve of an era of accelerating growth. In the first two articles in this series, Training the EMR: A Case-Based Perspective and Training the EMR: A Case Based Perspective - Drilling Down, I have compared this position to pioneering on a new frontier and have discussed some of the challenges and decisions clinicians and trainers face in "charting" new territory. In this third and final article I want to briefly comment on training the trainer and best practices in training the EMR.

Training the EMR: A Case-Based Perspective - Drilling Down

Part Two of a Four-Part Series

In the first part of this series, we took a look, from a case-based perspective, at some of the general complexities and challenges faced  in implementing a new Electronic Medical Record System. In part two, I want to drill down a bit more to look at some of the barriers and challenges that clinicians and trainers encounter as they try to learn and use an EMR. I will also offer up some suggestions, as a jumping-off place for considering solutions.

Stories from the Farm - The Adventures of Kate and Annie among the English

Or an impromptu tour of our neighborhood through the eyes of Kate and Annie ...

Monday evening around 7 pm, Benny was finishing up a fence expansion for the mules, and I, accompanied by my cat, had just plunked down on the white adirondack chair on our infrequently sunny back porch of late. With a glass of blackberry wine in one hand and my laptop in the other, I was ready to relax after a rugged day of landscaping, cleaning the carpets, and preparing for a flight to Dulles the next morning for my brother's surgery. I had barely taken the first sip from the glass when our neighbors Mike and Jacci pulled into our driveway. They climbed out of their Suburban to inspect the latest additions to our family, Kate and Annie - a team of Belgian mules who used to work for the Amish.