Britain, I have learned, has an interesting public health care system in which those who be calculate a cost effectiveness of costly drugs and procedures. If the cost of the surgery or prescription outweighs the benefit, the government says no. This doesn’t seem to happen in the United States. I’m beginning to wonder why. Seriously.
Now don’t call Jeb just yet, hear me out. I read this book one time (imagine that – me finishing a book!) where some time in the future this happened all over the world. If the patient was too old, it wasn’t worth the government’s money to provide health care for that individual because the person didn’t contribute enough to society. In other words, you should pay your own way.
I’m not expressing an ultimatum or starting an argument – I’m only bringing something up I read in today’s Wall Street Journal about a drug for the treatment of Alzheimer’s and Britain’s asking its physicians not to prescribe it anymore because it costs so much and doesn’t do enough. Is it worth it? Should the public pay to treat someone who doesn’t earn anything or make any type of contribution to society, especially when the treatment works only for a little while?
IMHO, no. It’s as simple as Terry Schiavo. Don’t prolong suffering.
Within the other shoe, I totally support the funding of Alzheimer’s research and other ventures related to the prevention and cure of any disease. I just don’t support some drug that’s been released and doesn’t provide at least something more permanent.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Priorities
I decided to post this here because it kind of goes along with Ben's post lifeinfalls. Not so much because the blog I will mention is leaving, but because many good voices are missed in the desire to be with the popular crowd.
Scott from Poetic Leanings is calling quits to his everyday posting and his issue posts. He will still be posting occasional poetry, which I highly recommend reading, but his voice will be missed in so many ways. I can totally understand why he is doing it too.
It takes a lot of time to put together ideas and then try to make then intelligible to your visitors. When your visitors are only a few a day, it hardly seems worth it. I believe Scott got more daily hits than I did, but I write more for my own sanity. If I based my blogging on hits, I would have quit a long time ago. It gets discouraging to spend time putting something together that you are proud of and then have noone read it or comment on it. Even disagreement would be fine.
I think the problem stems from wanting to be one of the "big boys" or at least accepted by them. The problem with those big blogs is that they don't really have anything important to say. They go for quantity to keep the people checking back to run up the hit counters. The smaller blogs believe that their words can be used to make a difference and not just a profit. Would I like to make money sitting at my computer bitching? You're damn right I would. But, I would like to think my words are serving a higher purpose than just doing it.
I imagine that more of the smaller blogs will start calling it quits or post less. I would like to be wrong, but don't know if I will be. Poetic Leanings provided insight into New Jersey politics and many of the big issues of today without being pretentious or acting superior to it's readers. I just hope that we can do our part to keep other good bloggers from folding it in.
Scott from Poetic Leanings is calling quits to his everyday posting and his issue posts. He will still be posting occasional poetry, which I highly recommend reading, but his voice will be missed in so many ways. I can totally understand why he is doing it too.
It takes a lot of time to put together ideas and then try to make then intelligible to your visitors. When your visitors are only a few a day, it hardly seems worth it. I believe Scott got more daily hits than I did, but I write more for my own sanity. If I based my blogging on hits, I would have quit a long time ago. It gets discouraging to spend time putting something together that you are proud of and then have noone read it or comment on it. Even disagreement would be fine.
I think the problem stems from wanting to be one of the "big boys" or at least accepted by them. The problem with those big blogs is that they don't really have anything important to say. They go for quantity to keep the people checking back to run up the hit counters. The smaller blogs believe that their words can be used to make a difference and not just a profit. Would I like to make money sitting at my computer bitching? You're damn right I would. But, I would like to think my words are serving a higher purpose than just doing it.
I imagine that more of the smaller blogs will start calling it quits or post less. I would like to be wrong, but don't know if I will be. Poetic Leanings provided insight into New Jersey politics and many of the big issues of today without being pretentious or acting superior to it's readers. I just hope that we can do our part to keep other good bloggers from folding it in.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Cold Tonight
I’m back in this mode again that puts me in a bad mood. It’s the mode that makes me wish I was somewhere else. The feeling never lets me go.
Tonight, like many nights, I want to go back to Colorado. It’s not that I’ve failed here (it was that sense that I could succeed in Georgia that brought me here), but that I would feel better somewhere more familiar. Somehow I could be happier where more people are open and friendly (and not so damn religious).
I thought of a million reasons to move back to Georgia and why I disliked Colorado. I remember having dry skin and bloody noses every once in awhile because of the climate. I also remember wanting to be closer to the rest of my family. Aside from that, I don’t recall just what it was that made me hate that place. I do, however, now remember what I loved.
I loved the convenience of an independently-owned coffee shop, and a friend to meet me there often, only to sit on cold bricks and bitch about our occupations. I miss the crisp cold during the winter, which lasts six months. I recall enjoying my time at college while my wife worked. I miss the variety of shops and the variety of people in them. I miss the bums on the corner, along with their hacky-sack. It’s those little things that I don’t have here that I miss the most. I feel more uncomfortable here every day.
But I must continue along this wet, sticky path until I reach a crossroad which my situation allows me to travel along. For now I have a daughter and a wife-student, and I cannot fail.
Tonight, like many nights, I want to go back to Colorado. It’s not that I’ve failed here (it was that sense that I could succeed in Georgia that brought me here), but that I would feel better somewhere more familiar. Somehow I could be happier where more people are open and friendly (and not so damn religious).
I thought of a million reasons to move back to Georgia and why I disliked Colorado. I remember having dry skin and bloody noses every once in awhile because of the climate. I also remember wanting to be closer to the rest of my family. Aside from that, I don’t recall just what it was that made me hate that place. I do, however, now remember what I loved.
I loved the convenience of an independently-owned coffee shop, and a friend to meet me there often, only to sit on cold bricks and bitch about our occupations. I miss the crisp cold during the winter, which lasts six months. I recall enjoying my time at college while my wife worked. I miss the variety of shops and the variety of people in them. I miss the bums on the corner, along with their hacky-sack. It’s those little things that I don’t have here that I miss the most. I feel more uncomfortable here every day.
But I must continue along this wet, sticky path until I reach a crossroad which my situation allows me to travel along. For now I have a daughter and a wife-student, and I cannot fail.
The Ridiculous Vow
This is only the 124th post to this blog since its creation in about April 2004. I hereby vow to blog at a minimum of once per day in 2006, and draw the attention of more readers. Scott started late last year and has over 10,000 hits recorded. He speaks a bit more than I do about what he's thinking (especially in the shower). If I had that much to say, I wouldn't have a problem blogging every day.
One must have a routine, you know. It creates order in the goings-on of the everyday.
Oh, the rumor started: Dell might just start selling computers with AMD processors and win my heart back. Oh, the thought. The $399 desktops today could become the $199 desktops tomorrow if this happens! Computers for every child in America!
I imply "only in America" because other countries can't afford Dell computers. Mr. Negroponte is furiously working on a solution for that. His idea, however, doesn't include anything we can buy ourselves, so for cheap computers, we should all look to Dell to bring AMD home.
One must have a routine, you know. It creates order in the goings-on of the everyday.
Oh, the rumor started: Dell might just start selling computers with AMD processors and win my heart back. Oh, the thought. The $399 desktops today could become the $199 desktops tomorrow if this happens! Computers for every child in America!
I imply "only in America" because other countries can't afford Dell computers. Mr. Negroponte is furiously working on a solution for that. His idea, however, doesn't include anything we can buy ourselves, so for cheap computers, we should all look to Dell to bring AMD home.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Leadership::Communication
This is the first installment into my rework of the first column on leadership. I won’t even link to the first one because I am ashamed of it. This one is a bit long, but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, and it’s time I got to it.
All leaders must communicate well. I suppose I could leave it at that, but I feel I must explain why. Here goes:
I am a subordinate and have been in every position in life with the exception of my latest post: I am a new father. I have often been subjected to poor directions and failed communication. I failed many times as a result. I had an office in Florida once where my supervisor/manager/whatever failed in my understanding of just exactly what my job was. She even had me write the description.
She also ignored most of my requests and only effectively communicated when she was pointing out my shortcomings as a data analyst (let it be known that I am not a statistician; I am an IT Professional.)
Before I get off on a rant, let me try to explain why it is necessary as a leader to convey your thoughts clearly to those whom you lead.
In effective communication, more than your instructions get across to the worker. The leader’s attitude toward the organization, task, and the worker himself can be told from a single sentence from the superior. We all know that attitudes can spread; someone with a recent death in the family can quiet the entire office for a whole day at times. If the boss is quite down and projects negativity about the company or his superiors, his subordinates can get to feeling the same way and lose sight of the organization’s goals. Negativity spreads regardless of position; the UPS delivery person can ruin an entire section of cubes given the perfect circumstances.
The effective communication discussed here includes several things:
A leader must build a trust-based relationship with everyone around him. This ensures that people will tell the truth and express their concerns without hesitation. In turn, problems are resolved before they begin to affect productivity. If the worker cannot feel comfortable asking for a new stapler when one is clearly needed, she won’t be inclined to speak up about things like missing deadlines either.
A leader must not ignore anyone. This involves a great deal of listening as well as multi-tasking, skills the leader should have mastered while in a lower position. If a worker is ignored or shrugged-off in any case, even the “Do you like my new tie?”-type questions, the worker will simply fall into a pattern of silence. He feels no one is listening, so he might as well save his breath.
Effective communication, having built a good say-anything relationship, should invite creativeness in that anything goes when it comes to ideas for change in the work environment. If there is a procedure that could be changed and a worker has a good idea to make it better, the leader will know because she listens. Inviting and encouraging creativity is one of the best things an organization can do to improve itself. The more efficient anyone or anything can become, the better off everyone is, even if it shaves twenty seconds off making a funnel cake.
Camaraderie is very important in a working relationship among any number of people. The simple act of meeting after work for a chat over coffee can make the greatest positive difference in someone’s life, and possibly in their career. People aren’t so reluctant to get to work if they enjoy the company they work with.
Something a leader can always use for motivating people: the possibility of promotion. This doesn’t mean that one should string people along and not come through. This motivation involves merely keeping the concerned informed about the goings-on in the organization and opportunities for advancement, especially during periods of growth. The workers should make their own decisions with what they hear and confirm, but the leader should always be in support of anyone attempting to get ahead even if it means parting company.
Above all, a leader should listen. Listening is half of the whole communication bit. Nothing is accomplished without communication. I’m sure it took more than one caveman to tackle a wildebeest for dinner, and I am willing to bet they used some form of communication. Without that, they may have starved, and it could have been the end of our species.
Yeah, it’s that important.
All leaders must communicate well. I suppose I could leave it at that, but I feel I must explain why. Here goes:
I am a subordinate and have been in every position in life with the exception of my latest post: I am a new father. I have often been subjected to poor directions and failed communication. I failed many times as a result. I had an office in Florida once where my supervisor/manager/whatever failed in my understanding of just exactly what my job was. She even had me write the description.
She also ignored most of my requests and only effectively communicated when she was pointing out my shortcomings as a data analyst (let it be known that I am not a statistician; I am an IT Professional.)
Before I get off on a rant, let me try to explain why it is necessary as a leader to convey your thoughts clearly to those whom you lead.
In effective communication, more than your instructions get across to the worker. The leader’s attitude toward the organization, task, and the worker himself can be told from a single sentence from the superior. We all know that attitudes can spread; someone with a recent death in the family can quiet the entire office for a whole day at times. If the boss is quite down and projects negativity about the company or his superiors, his subordinates can get to feeling the same way and lose sight of the organization’s goals. Negativity spreads regardless of position; the UPS delivery person can ruin an entire section of cubes given the perfect circumstances.
The effective communication discussed here includes several things:
- Building a trust-based relationship
- Paying attention to the subordinate
- Inviting creativeness
- Inviting camaraderie
- Welcoming promotion
A leader must build a trust-based relationship with everyone around him. This ensures that people will tell the truth and express their concerns without hesitation. In turn, problems are resolved before they begin to affect productivity. If the worker cannot feel comfortable asking for a new stapler when one is clearly needed, she won’t be inclined to speak up about things like missing deadlines either.
A leader must not ignore anyone. This involves a great deal of listening as well as multi-tasking, skills the leader should have mastered while in a lower position. If a worker is ignored or shrugged-off in any case, even the “Do you like my new tie?”-type questions, the worker will simply fall into a pattern of silence. He feels no one is listening, so he might as well save his breath.
Effective communication, having built a good say-anything relationship, should invite creativeness in that anything goes when it comes to ideas for change in the work environment. If there is a procedure that could be changed and a worker has a good idea to make it better, the leader will know because she listens. Inviting and encouraging creativity is one of the best things an organization can do to improve itself. The more efficient anyone or anything can become, the better off everyone is, even if it shaves twenty seconds off making a funnel cake.
Camaraderie is very important in a working relationship among any number of people. The simple act of meeting after work for a chat over coffee can make the greatest positive difference in someone’s life, and possibly in their career. People aren’t so reluctant to get to work if they enjoy the company they work with.
Something a leader can always use for motivating people: the possibility of promotion. This doesn’t mean that one should string people along and not come through. This motivation involves merely keeping the concerned informed about the goings-on in the organization and opportunities for advancement, especially during periods of growth. The workers should make their own decisions with what they hear and confirm, but the leader should always be in support of anyone attempting to get ahead even if it means parting company.
Above all, a leader should listen. Listening is half of the whole communication bit. Nothing is accomplished without communication. I’m sure it took more than one caveman to tackle a wildebeest for dinner, and I am willing to bet they used some form of communication. Without that, they may have starved, and it could have been the end of our species.
Yeah, it’s that important.
lifeinfalls
Beth and I have spent the last hour talking about a blog she found and was very impressed and amused by it. I just wanted to tell my reader(s) about this blog because it’s much more interesting than mine.
In my opinion, lifeinfalls should be more popular than it appears to be. I think she has fewer comments than me4president2008, yet she posts very funny articles and astonishingly fantastic photographs and ideas. Beth has added it to her favorites. Lifeinfalls is what blogging was meant to be.
Anyway, it’s time I started on my main project. I am working on…well, I can’t tell you or I’ll never finish it. I just can’t decide whether to post it in parts or in its entirety. I think I just figured it out – I’ll post it in parts and then I’ll post it as a complete document. Maybe I’ll get done with the first part tonight. Hell, I’m not programming, so I might as well write. I already drank the coffee.
In my opinion, lifeinfalls should be more popular than it appears to be. I think she has fewer comments than me4president2008, yet she posts very funny articles and astonishingly fantastic photographs and ideas. Beth has added it to her favorites. Lifeinfalls is what blogging was meant to be.
Anyway, it’s time I started on my main project. I am working on…well, I can’t tell you or I’ll never finish it. I just can’t decide whether to post it in parts or in its entirety. I think I just figured it out – I’ll post it in parts and then I’ll post it as a complete document. Maybe I’ll get done with the first part tonight. Hell, I’m not programming, so I might as well write. I already drank the coffee.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Interesting
"Thanks to TV and for the convenience of TV, you can only be one of two kinds of human beings, either a liberal or a conservative." - Kurt Vonnegut
I think Kurt here is right. On television, no one is in between political stances or out of the range of fire. Hannity and all his friends and fans tend to put labels on people. I think I talked about labels earlier.
I think Kurt here is right. On television, no one is in between political stances or out of the range of fire. Hannity and all his friends and fans tend to put labels on people. I think I talked about labels earlier.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
New Contributor
I would like to welcome Justin to the list of contributors. Justin and I were friends in the Army, but didn't know it until after we both were out. We have shared many a 12-pack in his garage while tearing apart any number of mobile electronics projects and constructing household necessities such as the double-barrel potato gun.
I'm envious of his being frozen in Colorado while I sweat my balls off in Georgia this winter.
Welcome, Justin.
I'm envious of his being frozen in Colorado while I sweat my balls off in Georgia this winter.
Welcome, Justin.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Beer
I love beer, it is great, it often helps me meditate.
My car is trashed and so am I, but if the cops must ask...i must lie.
surely officer, you can see...this aint my fault, it was the tree.
The fucker jumped into the road, and made me lose my precious toad.
He hopped away mad with one thing to say, that stopped an infection that surely would slay.
My car is trashed and so am I, but if the cops must ask...i must lie.
surely officer, you can see...this aint my fault, it was the tree.
The fucker jumped into the road, and made me lose my precious toad.
He hopped away mad with one thing to say, that stopped an infection that surely would slay.
Monday, November 14, 2005
All of a Sudden, FranklinCovey Sucks
I need a new binder for my Franklin planner this year along with next year’s refill. The binder I would have liked is $139.00. Now, I’ve got some resentment toward this:
The initial kit was about $100, and the first binder (current one) hasn’t lasted one year. How the hell am I going to justify paying $140 for the fucking binder and then $40 for the paper that goes in it? That’s averaging $140 per year just to “organize” my time and tasks. Doesn’t seem efficient. I think I’ll quit carrying this stupid thing, and patent my own life-prioritizing algorithms for simplicity and organization. Then I’ll be like Stephen Covey.
Maybe I’ll just go paperless. Hell, I’ve got planzo for my calendar and tasks, a mobile phone for my contacts’ phone numbers, a tablet computer for all other communication, and a wonderful spouse for tracking the money. Screw this Weekly Compass crap. Using the silly thing takes more time than I have allotted for it.
The initial kit was about $100, and the first binder (current one) hasn’t lasted one year. How the hell am I going to justify paying $140 for the fucking binder and then $40 for the paper that goes in it? That’s averaging $140 per year just to “organize” my time and tasks. Doesn’t seem efficient. I think I’ll quit carrying this stupid thing, and patent my own life-prioritizing algorithms for simplicity and organization. Then I’ll be like Stephen Covey.
Maybe I’ll just go paperless. Hell, I’ve got planzo for my calendar and tasks, a mobile phone for my contacts’ phone numbers, a tablet computer for all other communication, and a wonderful spouse for tracking the money. Screw this Weekly Compass crap. Using the silly thing takes more time than I have allotted for it.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
New Format
I'm getting ready to leave for the morning, and Ashton is sulking. He always does this. I feel terrible sometimes.
I learned yesterday, however, of an Internet radio station for pets. It is supposed to help with the separation anxiety if you leave it playing throughout the day.
The station is at www.dogcatradio.com and they play upbeat 80's from what I've heard so far. Try it out. It will be playing from my office today so that it may be heard throughout the house.
The station actually is broadcast from a motor home in a parking lot in LA (according to NPR) and the station blew up yesterday since the press release. Props to these folks.
Have a good day and be nice to your dog and/or cat.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Planzo
So I found this new thing from Rising Concepts, LLC (I swear Google has something to do with this) and I figured I'd try it. Who knows? Maybe it will replace my other organizational tool, and maybe my employer will see use in it, too.
This site is a calendar building tool and has other organizational features, too. One of the cool things about it is that my calendar of events is publicly viewable at http://brehberg.planzo.com. They also provided the code that displays today's events in the sidebar to the right. I'll be playing with this, so look here for a report soon. While you're waiting, give it a try if you think you might have the need.
This site is a calendar building tool and has other organizational features, too. One of the cool things about it is that my calendar of events is publicly viewable at http://brehberg.planzo.com. They also provided the code that displays today's events in the sidebar to the right. I'll be playing with this, so look here for a report soon. While you're waiting, give it a try if you think you might have the need.
Car Crash
Some guy pulled out in front of me last week. Totally hosed up my routine, since the rental car doesn't like my iPod, and I don't want to install my XM radio in it.
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