The Lloyd House Wednesday Night Salon WEEKLY
A Newsletter published every Thursday from the Lloyd House in Cincinnati
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FIVE SECTIONS, including:
- Table Notes of the discussion at this Wednesday night’s Salon, as recorded by Ellen
- Events and Opportunities
- SPECIAL SECTION: Health Care Reform
- Articles of Interest
- Book, Film, Theater, TV, Music, Radio, and Restaurant Reviews
- Tri-State Treasures, compiled by Jim Kesner
Submissions: you must have the email copy to me by Wednesday night midnight. Copy the format you see in this Weekly please. (Times New Roman font, text 14 pt, headlines 20 pt. Maroon for Opportunities and Events, Navy for articles.)
The Wednesday Night Salon has been meeting each week of the year (no break for holidays, weather) since July 2001 in pursuit of good talk. Bring a dish at 5:45 pm and join us. We are usually about 10 people of varied erudition and age. We like to talk politics, environmentalism, social issues, literature, the arts, ad any blamed thing we want. Sometimes we have a special presenter. We emphasize good fellowship and civility always. Way fun! Everyone welcome. 3901 Clifton Avenue 45220.
SECTION ONE: Table Notes
Terry read the preamble. Bill read quotes from Molly Ivins. .
These rough notes have not been approved or edited by the speakers and contain inevitable misunderstandings and misquotes. Also, opinions expressed are NOT necessarily Ellen’s.
At the Table this Wednesday:
Attendees:
Elaine Bradford, Terry Monnie, Ginger Lee Frank, Bentley Davis, Sara Ernst, Justin Jeffre, Vlasta Mollak, Mira Rodwan, Jason Haap, Joy Haupt, Bud Haupt, Carolyn Aufderhaar, Bill Limbacher, Lauren Hanisian, Marilyn Gale, Vivien Monnie, Ellen Bierhorst, Gerry Kraus, Marvin Kraus, Mr. G. , Diane Fishbein, Josy Trageser,Dennis Kinsley,
TOPICS and ANNouncements
Ellen
Mira, Elaine, Ginger, Bentley, Sara, Justin, (behind Justin is Terry, Marvin, Gerry) then Dennis, Jason, Joy, Bud (behind Bud is Carolyn and Bill), Lauren, Marilyn.
Vlasta read:
O beautiful, for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed His grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.
O beautiful, for pilgrim feet Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw;
Confirm thy soul in self control, thy liberty in law!
O beautiful, for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness, and ev'ry gain divine!
O beautiful, for patriot dream That sees beyond the years,
Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!
Bill: I am leaving the city this Sunday. Returning to Wilmington; will continue working in their library; officer in Toastmasters.
Vlasta: Ham Co commissioners were scheduled to sell bonds to store storm water underground. Water bills will be going up 700%. It is almost a done deal. This is a result of the Sierra Club suing MSD for raw sewage going into the river... Consent Decree.
Bentley: I know about the suit. Raw sewage was going into peoples basements, mixing with storm water. I don’t know about this bond issue.
Justin: the Green Party has not taken a formal position.
Mira: what about the surge protector Duke is urging everyone to get.
Vlasta: springfield township (Finneytown) has left Duke, and getting from an independent provider; use Duke’s delivery systems. A community aggregate program to buy energy.... I am opting out; I am off the grid.
Vivien: what about alternative providers of gas and electricity? When you go back to Duke ofter 10/10, do they charge you a bfee?
Bentley: yes, there will be a surcharge.
Mr. G.: I beat Duke last year. Part I: I got a call from Duke, telling that I am being charged for a gas meter though I use no gas for years. When I moved in I asked for meters to be turned on, and they turned on an unconnected meter.
I went to PUCO asking for reimbursement for years of charge. Went to Cols. Got $700 settlement.
In the settlement they wanted me to sign a confidentiality waiver announcement.
PUCO appointed an arbitrator...
I decided to go to court.
A week before, they took back their demand on a gag.
Ginger: tomrrow at 10 am at Columbia Square, just E of Delta. The “Tinks” people now have opened “the green dog” restaurant. They got a huge grant from the City. They promise the lowest carbon footprint in the city. Recycled materials in the furniture... Tomorrow is the official opening. “on demand” hot water heater. Filtered water. Not a cheap place. Looks like a Habanera ...
Bentley: 2 announcements: AMOS and UFTW are organizing a protest tomorrow at Whole Foods, meet Madison Park 5 pm, on Madison Rd. For one thing, the CEO wrote an op ed piece opposing Health Care Reform.
- As early as Tues, HB 176 Ohio Legislature will be voted on : anti-discrimination in housing and employment. Sex ofrientation and gender identity. Your state reps need to hear from you. In Ohio there is no protection against this descrimination. In Cinti. There is now a protection, but most places in Ohio do not have.
JASON HAAP FOR SCHOOL BOARD
Jason Haap is a 13 year educator running for the Cincinnati School Board. In addition to his detailed public platform, he wants to use his campaign to raise awareness about the school board races generally -- fearing that educational politics too often take a back seat to City Hall politics. He has already worked actively to change district policies -- making them more inclusive -- and he offers common sense solutions for the challenges facing the district. Learn more at his campaign web page: http://www.jasonhaap.com
(I was very impressed by Jason. This is a smart dude, cool headed, passionate about education. Well qualified. I’d much rather vote for him than for thecharismatic rocket 21 year old Cear Bagget (sp?) endorsed by the Dems. ellen)
Justin: I invited Jason Haap who is Green Party candidate for the School Board . The budget for CPS is larger than the general operating fund of the City of Cinti.
Huge impact. Our biggest goal is to raise the consciousness of the school Bd race.
Jason Happ: I’ve been teacher 13 years, parociaal, charter and public schools. I am familiar with school operations. 34. Mt. Airy, married, 2 kids. My son goes to Waldorf school
#1 platform point: proportional cuts. Not denying kids services more than administrative cuts.
Anti harrassment policies: there are currently no policies against sexual orientation harassment. I worked on this, got a change that is an improvement, but not as much as we want. Melanie Bates is helping us.
The school bd race has a potential to lift issues that have wide implications.
I disagree for pay for performance for teachers. Impossible to judge quality of teacher. My sophomores made the best scores on the achievement tests, but that doesn’t make me the best teacher. Maybe others have more special needs kids ... More free lunch kids...
We can hold our principal accountable.
The principals evaluate the teachers. They are the ones who should be held accountable. The school bd could realistically know and meet with the principals...
(superintendants’ job?)
Princeton h.s. Got “excellent” rating this year for first time. New principal.
Vlasta: I endorse Jason.
Ginger: it maybe fine to evaluate the principal rather than the teachers. But how could the board eval. Principals.
Jason: I do not disagree with merit pay. ... As a teacher, you have to differentiate between students. Diversity of experience. ... Princeton is one of the most diverse districts in the state. So you must also differentiate teachers, not one standard.
Mira: I have a green agenda. What about yours?
Jason: when the new building construction first started I wrote to Melanie Bates and asked about geothermal heating for new buldings. After that the plans for new buildings were changed to include energy efficient systems... Green roof...
Several years ago at Purcell Marion we established a community garden; now this garden provides many pounds of food for the Free Store.
Vivien: I admire any teacher. In your experience have you ever seen an unfit teacher actually rated such by a principal.
Jason: yes.
Terry: how would you rate the Princeton school district?
We are falling behind educationally...Thomas Friedeman “Flat Earth...”
Jason: I think Princeton is producing the kinds of students we need.
No child left behind:
Ihave radically mixed feelings. Teachers teach to the test; dumb down the cirriculum. There is emense pressure to just look at test scores. I have to work on myself not to teach to the test.
... Our principal says we must offer multiple opportunities for students to succeed.
Mr G: how do you get from relativistic assessment to graduates who can qualify in objective standards?
Jason: by the time he graduates each student can meet the standards. “One size fits few.”
Prevaling wage: (this is where the schl bd is required to pay the prevailing wage for workers on construction. ) I have heard claims that new construction of schools are falling apart and is due to poor construction. I spoke with a union guy who said that if you hire low wage non union workers you get shoddy work. When I asked for chapter and verse, they stopped talking.
The controversy is: “prevaling wage” is in line with what unions pay. If you are a small contractor you may not be able to pay that high wage. So a prevailing wage policy prices out the small guy.
I have yet to find a platform for any of my opponents.
Justin: I’ve been a union member a long time myself. But my experience is that the unions don’t stick up for workers. Labor needs to wake up; put pressure on the Democratic party ...
Bentley: parties give endorsements on the basis of viability rather than philosophy. E.g. Jeff Berding was endorsed by the Dems and then un-endorsed.
Justin: princeton has the highest grad rate of afr-american students in the state. ... Due to our philosophy...
TV Speech.
Congress. 4 bills in house; 1 in senate. 20% disagreement.
The senate bill will probably not include a public option.
The house bill will.
Last winter we were loosing 700,000 jobs / mo, fianancial system ready to collapse. Now not out of the woods; I will not let up until job seekers can find jobs.
(standing ovation). Credit seeking businesses... Homeowners. But I can say we have pulled the economy back from the brink (standing ovation)
Thank congress for efforts. Thank people for patience.
We came here not just to clean up crises, but to build future.
Health care is central. “I am not the first pres to take up this cause but I am determined to be the last.” (standing ovation)
Nearly a century since T. Roosevelt first called for reform. First introduced in 1943. John Dingle. ...Mi.
We have not met this challenge.
Middle class americans without insurance... Pre-existing conditions. We are the only advanced democracy on earth that allows such hardship. 30 million uninsured.
Every day 14000 los their coverage.
Those who do have insurance are also insecure. Coverage is dropped when they get sick. ... No one should be treated that way in the u.s. A.
We spend more on health care, have worse coverage.
Those who have insurance pay a n invisible tax to cover those who are not insured to go to the ER...
Our health care problem IS our deficit problem. Nothing else even comes close.
Some believe in single payer.
Some believe in ending employer based systems; let individuals buy insur on their own.
Either of these would be radical.
Makes more sense to build on what works rather than build a new system from scratch.
Congress has moved faster than ever before on this issue.
Bi partisan cooperation.
But also, lots of jockeying...blizzard of charges; confusion. The time for bickering is over.
Our Plan:
If you already have insurance or medicare or VA or medicaid, nothing will require you to change the coverage or the Dr you have.
It will be unlawful for coverage to be denied due to pre existing condition.
It will be against the law for insur co to drop your coverage or water it down when you are sick
No more annual or lifetime cap on the amt you can receive.
Limit on how much you have to pay out of pocket. No one should go broke because they get sick.
I n surance will be required to cover preventive measures like mammogram, colonoscopy.
If you don’t now have health insur, you will have quality, affordable hoices. If you lose or change your job, yoou’ll be able to get coverage.
We’ll have a market place where people can shop for insurance. Companies will compete with each other.
If you still can’t afford programs in the exchange, there will be a tax incentive.
The exchange will be up in 4 years.
Immediately, low cost coverage offered to those who don’t have it.
Some may want to go without coverage. Some employers may want to not offer coverage.
But the rest of us then have to pick up the costs of the er treatment of the uninsured.
So individuals will be required to have basic health insur, like states requiring auto insurance.
Hardship waiver for those who can still not afford...
Small businesses also not required to participate.
There is broad support for these concepts.
But
Bogus claims will be spilled. E.g. “death panels”. This is a lie, plain and simple.
E.g. Illegal immigrants. Would not apply to illegal immigrants.
No federal dolars will be used to fund abortions.
I like choice and competition. Lots of monopolies in health insurance. Not enough competition. Relentless profit expectations. I do not want to put insur cos out of bus. Just hold them accountable.
Not for profit public option available. No one forced to choose it. Not impact those who are insured.
Taxpayers won’t be subsidizing this public insurance company. But it could provide a good deal by not having to pay corporate profits to stock holders. Like the public universities and colleges vs the private ones. Competition is good
Want to work with Republicans for legitimate concerns.
I will not back down: if you cannot find an affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice.
How to pay for this plan
I will not sign a plan that increases our deficit.
There will be more spending cuts if the savings we expect don’t materialize.
Our current system is full of waste and abuse. Much spent doesn’t make us healthier.
To seniors: 40 years ago, we started Medicare. It is a sacred trust. Not one dollar of the medicare trust fund will be used to py for this plan.
It will eliminate millions of subsidies and fraud and waste in Medicare.
Will fix the Rx drugs problem.
... Reduce malpractice legislation so that dr can focus on practicing medicine rather than protect themselves agains malpractice suits.
Cost: 900 billion over ten years. Less than w e have spent on the wars in I. and A. Less than the tax increases for the wealthiest already approved by congress.
If we can just slow the growth of health care costs by .1% a year, we’ll reduce the deficit by a trillion.
If we do nothing, our deficit will grow, more bankruptcies, more closed businesses, more people dying due to loss of insurance coverage.
Letter from Ted Kennedy. He was confident that this will be the year for health care reform, the great unfinished business of our country. It concerns more thlan the material things. A moral issue. Social justice. The character of our country.
Self reliance, defense of freedom, rugged individualism. Suspicion of government.
What drove Ted Kennedy, was not interest in big government, or ideology; rather his own experience... E.g. Children stricken with cancer.
In 1940, social security was passed even tho many feared it would be government take over.
In ‘65 Medicare was passed, even tho many feared that.
Danger of too much gov’t; but also of too little.
If we can’t cooperate with each other to solve this problem, we lose something essential... It may be politically expedient to delay, but we did not come here to do that.
We can replace gridlock with progress, replace acrimony with civility.
Our national character is to meet our challenges.
SECTION TWO: Events and Opportunities
See Articles section for Bentley Davis’ Political Update for the Responsible Citizen.
Public Assistance for Hard Times:
Mike invited you to "Live chat: Food stamps, Medicaid, cash assistance" on Wednesday, September 16 at 10:00am.
Event: Live chat: Food stamps, Medicaid, cash assistance
"Ask questions. Learn more. Help for rough times."
What: Workshop
Host: Hamilton County (Ohio) Department of Job and Family Services
Start Time: Wednesday, September 16 at 10:00am
End Time: Wednesday, September 16 at 11:00am
Where: http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.hcjfs.org
To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=67648979995&mid=109ccddG22774d34G287b9e3G7
Thanks,
The Facebook Team
___
Nina Tolley to lead Yoga again this year at Lloyd House
Wednesday mornings, starting on Sept the 23rd at 9.30 am.
Yoga with Nina. This practice session is for people who have some familiarity with yoga and is to strengthen bones and muscles, increase flexibility, and acquire some balance. Hope you will join me.
Wear free-moving clothes; bring a sticky mat.
Nina
Nina Tolley
3900 North Cliff Lane, Cincinnati, OH 45220 513 281-2515
http://home.fuse.net/pastelsbynina/
Discover Pilates at the Pilates Studio of The Christ Hospital
Taught by Fletcher Pilates qualified teachers Patty Phillips & Kristen Fryer
Who offer a combined 16 years of teaching experience.
Take advantage of our fall class promotion! For a limited time, you can BYPASS the pre-requisite private sessions and join Stretch and Tone, Mat and Reformer group classes.
Remember classes are small to tailor to individual needs, so register soon.
Starting Sept. 8
Mix level Reformer classes
· Tuesdays at 11 a.m.
· Thursdays at noon
Currently ongoing
Stretch and Tone
· Tuesdays at noon
Pilates Mat
· Fridays at 11 a.m.
Reformer classes are $22 each or a package of eight for $288 ($20 each). Mat classes and Stretch and Tone classes are $15 each or a package of four for $50 ($12.50 each).
Call 585-1069 to make an appointment!
**Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
Anna Ferguson, Mark Stroud (Gratitude Yoga): Free Event Sun 9/20
From: Anna Ferguson <anna@worldpeaceyoga.com>
Reply-To: <anna@worldpeaceyoga.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 10:00:10 -0400 (EDT)
To: Ellen Bierhorst <ellenbierhorst@lloydhouse.com>
Subject: World Peace, Thank You & Events
Having trouble viewing this email? Click here <http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001jJugBGUWU4qT0_DY5NaxiWENNO-LRn4jyhuxLhsLrv5zosknEMofgVrzZQVSWZ-jxZbkr7ug3XTbQMuYSvD7rkS1V9agcDK2PSJluj7iLTioEMTi7A4aUkFhDTV4Achon_sz_Mus0OFrBAjMV869HQ%3D%3D>
You're receiving this email because of your relationship with World Peace Yoga & World Peace Jubilee, formerly Gratitude. Please confirm <http://visitor.constantcontact.com/c.jsp?t=1102696059659.48.510460125.2&m=1101768040995&wl=F> your continued interest in receiving email from us.
World Peace, Thank You & Events
In This Issue
THANK YOU <#LETTER.BLOCK4>
Global Mala Event <#LETTER.BLOCK5>
World Peace Yoga Conference <#LETTER.BLOCK6>
Congratulations to Yoga Teacher Trainers <#LETTER.BLOCK7>
Cincinnati's
Hot Vegans
Join the C.H.V. group on facebook <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegchBYcS2mXxjN1DeoGlREOJfK4yQgdso--LvfC61K4I6Cosc9za-QFFx5uwpWSVIcr5x4TzZjRHT7YrtKsq_n-yer_fZmAIlAa1cuDzZy7Gym9Jyip8XrZouhFlHdyeJNPu7_Ts58mL2QYmBJmy0j3HBXgImjKxw1A=> and stay tuned for details on Cincinnati's Hot Vegans Contest for all of you Soy Boys & Setian Sweeties.
What's Hot is what's in your Heart!
Greetings with gratitude . . .
We would like to thank you for your continued enthusiasm, support, patience, contributed talents, treasures and time as we carry on to open our "Spiritual Urban Village." Many have volunteered services, such as playing music, preparing food, computer and design work, on renovations and much more. Others have contributed financially or with time. We are eternally grateful for all of these offerings & to those that participate in classes and events on a regular basis. These offerings, along with past events, such as cooking classes <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegez1s0s6lQSJ5CTOIdE_OxrIjJplYj8Ds9TqKBzWANYl_usq5Ft76difaL8wbHpR9ABdxEKg7qHRGJEmYKLabycLR8cGuB4XIM93X2HqCiKe7FraujQOIOeK_4h0mRnVycHxIEO7HzelKkbz3fJ8nMBV4EzNUaYhSyOgQlb4VFKzO_COk32xCKPwjcqAOReizKe91OTlBhaiA==> , the Yoga & Vegetarianism series, teacher trainings, workshops, etc. and current events (read further below) we are planning and putting into action are stepping stones to the opening of our "Spiritual Urban Village" with the completion of our eco-renovated studio and restaurant!
Please join the growing community of peacemakers at some of our upcoming events, keeping the enthusiasm going on our road to opening.
With deep appreciation,
Anna Ferguson & Mark Stroud
Please read further for events and happenings!
Global Mala Event: FREE
Sunday, September 20, 1:00-4:00 pm Burnet Woods
Live music, delicious food, World Peace Yoga & Laughter Yoga and Park + Vine Eco-Boutique . . . what more could you ask for? Oh yes, a great cause - WORLD PEACE! Join us at the Burnet Woods Bandstand to celebrate. Click here <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegcA9t5C8uFy6ZHXTKfVMA1Pcg9jhxMSDD8X88VUzimJJVctyE9u99DRcBE11KWqW6ZEd0ZgCvy_YAXFO5H67WqFz5uhiWJo4yEIm2Ta4NuovKbFkCV257XdOGRl4lwB-yu0X2ifxA8E3e59L1VtP3L-SIeZ81aTAe5FLRb_3UlykxVQx8-vjGtX> for more information.
Schedule of Events:
1:00-2:00 pm: World Peace Yoga Practice
2:00-2:30 pm: Live Music, Delicious Vegan Food & Park + Vine <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegfQHrLcpU-aGBqnKzy2qFlmlluXz8bHWCg4d9Pqdc0csMX6iR_AIHyzJKujRi3CkXlJRa3d3S699at1Np1dzENb4qpWI99kWv2pkp0R1qO9AQ==> Eco-Boutique
2:30-3:30 pm: Laughter Yoga for World Peace
3:30-4:00 pm: Live Music, Delicious Vegan Food & Park + Vine <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegfQHrLcpU-aGBqnKzy2qFlmlluXz8bHWCg4d9Pqdc0csMX6iR_AIHyzJKujRi3CkXlJRa3d3S699at1Np1dzENb4qpWI99kWv2pkp0R1qO9AQ==> Eco-Boutique
World Peace Yoga Conference
October 23-25, 2009 at Grailville ~ Loveland, Ohio
When YOU register for the "World Peace Yoga Conference" in addition to experiencing cutting-edge classes, world-class food and soul-stirring inspiration YOU are directly contributing to educational opportunities that spread the message of a "Practical Blueprint for World Peace".
Join us in welcoming these amazing presenters: Arlene Bjork, Harold Brown, Jeff Brown, Julia Butterfly-Hill, Shelli Carpenter, Elizabeth Farians PhD, Amy Ferguson, Gabriel Cousens, Karen Dawn, Sharon Gannon, Andrew Harvey, Shanti Golds-Cousens, Jonny Kest, Dan Korman, Doug Kreitzer, David Life, Lila Lolling, Mercury Max, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Kali Ray, Rae Sikora, Katy Stahl, Doug Swenson, Will & Madeleine Tuttle, Patrick Murphy Welage and more!
Register at www.worldpeaceyogaconference.com <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegcSncXBZjKgTGyPvvgTcAVF6n6zajSV9CSJPYbNRYeo6j4vvtgmH-W6ZpMcuoQT1HtEwoH6PFi1hBirbHC0_pkrIRJtLDjApubsaOhrwK9ZbKw9HPuGM7lSVSpoZlTDmDE=>
Congratulations to Yoga Teacher Trainers
I would like to acknowledge, thank and congratulate the yoga teacher trainers at World Peace Yoga & Motion Studio and Cincinnati State for their time, energy and dedication to the program. I am blessed with the good fortune to know and spend time with all of you. Our journey together through teacher training was amazing and it continues to grow and blossom. I'm also grateful for the current teacher training group in Springboro at Lee Laa Yoga, which are half way through the program. With love for all, Anna.
A testimonial from Pam Painter:
"Originally, I chose this teacher training based on how comprehensive and organized it appeared to be. It was that and so much more. Upon completion of the time spent in class, I was more than comfortable with facilitating Yoga classes in a variety of styles. The knowledge Anna imparts is prolific and authentic because she lives what she teaches every moment of every day. She is truly inspirational. I was supported throughout the entire course and continue to be through the fellowship created with so many wonderful people surrounding the training. Anna's continuing efforts to raise awareness and promote peace in our communities and in the world is such a blessing."
For more teacher training testimonials, please click here <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegfnd0RSngggklKu0F_k7MzZP0SLSzSK6jqFWv149lhRzgRwoMWO4WQh0nyGFPQ31-D0RMNqwrTVx9lx3Z1rKpGHxL-bBk8xEhddmi-ii0B4bh71AvmnKuOx3bUQJGlhBFAAT1eMdUvxPmC5nfEDUCrPrNabiJt_QN-U-eIE31W3OQ==> .
This year I was also blessed with the opportunity to be a yoga teacher trainer again for a 350-hour course at Omega Institute in New York with Sharon Gannon & David Life. After months of preparation in coursework and a month-long course, I am now offically a Jivamukti Yoga Teacher. I'll be starting Jivamukti classes late September on Tuesdays from 6:30-8:00 pm. Click here <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegfEknijPnFfKse5J881NTVNFLcgtTCmFxbI7e0RR4GNhjiOH2aVoPFtbeKhK8za3_odwcCdq7kLjZvuoQRa0iPiLUd-ufmr_NyAuG_J4tWra0THl2TF-7BrNZeXZryGnRn73hoO1vIIhv3lY8p56MAJiBHKUAMkhaANJVX_fDTVYGUH6K2V8XwI> for more about the Jivamukti Yoga practice.
Upcoming Events & Classes-Full Listing
Fundamentals of Vegan Cooking Workshop <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegez1s0s6lQSJ5CTOIdE_OxrIjJplYj8Ds9TqKBzWANYl_usq5Ft76difaL8wbHpR9ABdxEKg7qHRGJEmYKLabycLR8cGuB4XIM93X2HqCiKe7FraujQOIOeK_4h0mRnVycHxIEO7HzelKkbz3fJ8nMBV4EzNUaYhSyOgQlb4VFKzO_COk32xCKPwjcqAOReizKe91OTlBhaiA==>
Saturday, September 19, 2009: 11:00 am-3:30 pm (offsite)
Global Mala: United Nations Day of World Peace Event (FREE) <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegcA9t5C8uFy6ZHXTKfVMA1Pcg9jhxMSDD8X88VUzimJJVctyE9u99DRcBE11KWqW6ZEd0ZgCvy_YAXFO5H67WqFz5uhiWJo4yEIm2Ta4NuovKbFkCV257XdOGRl4lwB-yu0X2ifxA8E3e59L1VtP3L-SIeZ81aTAe5FLRb_3UlykxVQx8-vjGtX> Sunday, September 20, 2009: 1:00-4:00 pm
Peace Satsang (FREE) <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegcAHJC4CwwhuLwJe375I20NM7cV8cBACo9trkt0dBFaY9HHXxroQj83A7VRjtE7qhj821HTjUbKmq3mnJ81nDHfnrlK4Z8AtSpJlhZc6qtvLYud09pfosnVNrBlRrtglogMn0P27PgegHb_rrGS-NT6lmMFQbdEq3Jgp47k-Ta9lsHmWLufgVCE>
Thursdays, 7:00-9:00 pm: September 24, October 29, November 12 & December 10
World Peace Diet Study Group, Recipe Exchange & Potluck <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegd3vQUOv9Rf-JuHV7bRSq-nw4jJbK73wh3N9nN2KDTIyhgIRhvGgpaaiX4u7ud5ahoLWK2-WTWIS1h5oGW9h8u7TZOJVVoZqtWEuYOUwzFSBfzrMJU5-tSZb0FaJ0eiB_H2B0VqwiAaLwm2eJKtb-lfehJGwkt49eowJgPeNMyU9cIoeOSZKlFSR8Z4vhqQvIIw5GlMyIhxTQ==> Mondays, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm: Click above link for specified dates.
Themed Yoga (& Teacher Satsang) <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegc301Fs2Zj5thJAS9x01c5IbWfuVLWFjrBbt4-FkrdVXNeU4lyLNZNAchaU6KVdlQNXA_jOlgqsy3lni8dkMq2ysKHlHYieByPOYDEhc9ISyyvRTgulvMx5GVs3ixrpLZteJOAU9S7C1C_0IieVHMQWygTr9dtSRQdIqUpC5EWHFS5apNFOJldL>
Fridays, 6:30-7:30 pm: October 2, November 6 & December 4
The World Peace Yoga Conference <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegcSncXBZjKgTGyPvvgTcAVF6n6zajSV9CSJPYbNRYeo6j4vvtgmH-W6ZpMcuoQT1HtEwoH6PFi1hBirbHC0_pkrIRJtLDjApubsaOhrwK9ZbKw9HPuGM7lSVSpoZlTDmDE=>
October 23-25, 2009
Weekend Yoga Immersion <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegfk5uGSDXHDBJliIlpIFRdAlcSXeozBcXaVzKMdxWGZMSpRo8DgGCkbF7fjpbJRGpFW0h1_e22Opa_4B8ysnK9TZg4o7i-hgSKwhUzfKVaB559wVr4Bm64mj_sXVxe2cH1OtLmW6Eur9uFMEJsdpCouRxJTA1r12oGAuOlMllRg5fUbTINUdsE_U_KxTIAq0HY=>
November 13-15, 2009: Friday-Sunday
Teacher Training Open House <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegcO-q--fFDf0vw6TTV9LP6IRszfFmE4WlpqH1N1Pt6JqQnMvByIa376jHXHTEOk83gwN62FHKD818DdJMFdF8c2rN5hFXxCJhh8vTvAS1OrgA1wjOjA0JaV_B7hqV_-sGUYTQUJ2_35bNBFhqhXaSVKwcoq0SLWAExz6PSOvuiVsKihF74dWpKGbgGf-VyX33OtN4Hsn2QYDw==>
Sunday, November 15, 2009: 5:30-7:00 pm
200-hour Yoga Certification Course <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegfSRPC2izw9yGV89IE6PDdGZ-o48YRonl05SVVY8xr62EpmxrY8_1QwOYiTHDn_m3RMNzf_fyCdX810czFNbGWztptDSsRWhLWOmr7QBYfe6U8MZjawuCugKOSrr6DxmwrBNhySBksehOANv_cel5E8Phr0nJxifpKBnAv7AO3t3YdtOJyXIr4m>
Begin your journey of transformation and peace in action January of 2010!
Contact anna@worldpeaceyoga.com for more details.
Click here <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegcTHoJ9kIXjlCp86EHEMAnBs5aABPw6ZpsbjFiU_GW17QsfCCTR5lZvRSBlXyMUsozrQVccNoCxrU6tsSBFSqiFTP7Ria6-vTnq4UbtX7sNCo_wTtu2EgVfVuJ2hobMtrtH3GkscvAnVAlVnMwlh40zyrUjSORHjHpxi5dh5Wdnbw==> for our class schedule with new offerings starting September 21 including Jivamukti Yoga, Laughter Yoga, Yin-Restorative Yoga and more!
World Peace Yoga & Motion Studio ~ World Peace Jubilee
268 Ludlow Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45220
513-300-9642
yoga@worldpeaceyoga.com <mailto:yoga@worldpeaceyoga.com>
jubilee@worldpeacejubilee.com <mailto:jubilee@worldpeacejubilee.com>
www.worldpeaceyoga.com <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegfgWHHOlnfFr7p3FnpCqOW4UKyk_TRzRUPNwCXdhdvtKnNJi8pd-Cx44jfkrrng3NxqQ_7Djp2-fMruuxfk_kC0kPi21vTrQ3EbUXqjs-aEmA==>
www.worldpeacejubilee.com <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegfkb_N_RPtIIXxDvDLCzkNvyOkS4K7Ea0jNYbaUDRuc6BsU3yxx84jcZpQapeq7-Qp6IyAuGmZs0QeKs8oUy5nvzJ3C0HQdwO_UMt54pjDP9oqNtKhd2Mft>
Save 10% Join us at the Global Mala event at Burnet Woods <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102696059659&s=48&e=001tytQoMyjegcA9t5C8uFy6ZHXTKfVMA1Pcg9jhxMSDD8X88VUzimJJVctyE9u99DRcBE11KWqW6ZEd0ZgCvy_YAXFO5H67WqFz5uhiWJo4yEIm2Ta4NuovKbFkCV257XdOGRl4lwB-yu0X2ifxA8E3e59L1VtP3L-SIeZ81aTAe5FLRb_3UlykxVQx8-vjGtX> on Sunday, September 20 and receive a 10% discount when you purchase any World Peace Yoga class pass or products, such as tee shirts, books and other miscellaneous items.
Mention this offer at the Global Mala event on Sunday, September 20! Good for ONE DAY ONLY!
Forward email <http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1101768040995&ea=ellenbierhorst%40lloydhouse.com&a=1102696059659>
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Gratitude | 268 Ludlow Ave | Cincinnati | OH | 45220
Cincinnati, Hamilton County & Ohio Elections 2009
Candidate and Issue Forums
All events are free, non-partisan and open to the public.
Overview of State and Local Ballot Issues
Wednesday, Sept 23 7:00 p.m.
Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church, 103 Wm. Howard Taft 45219
Cosponsors: League of Women Voters, Woman’s City Club
For info: League of Women Voters 281-8683
Cincinnati School Board Candidate Forum
Monday, October 5 7:00 p.m.
Woodward Career Technology High School, Reading & Seymour Avenues, Bond Hill.
Cosponsors: League of Women Voters, Woman’s City Club, AIR Inc., Cincinnatus Association, NAACP, American Jewish Committee, Parents for Public Education
For info: League of Women Voters 281-8683
Cincinnati Mayoral Debate
Tuesday, October 13 8:00 p.m.
WCPO Channel 9 TV.
Cosponsors: Cincinnatus Association, League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.
For info: Cincinnatus Association
Cincinnati City Council Candidates Forum
TOPIC: Strategies for Neighborhood Revitalization in the Midst of Financial Crisis
Saturday, October 10 7:30 p.m.
The Greenwich, 2442 Gilbert Avenue, 45206; Walnut Hills
Cosponsors: The Greenwich, League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area.
For info: The Greenwich (513) 221-1151.
WhaWhat are YOUR questions for the candidates?
Email your questions (specify which forum) to cincinnati cincinnati2009elections@yahoo.com.
Questions will be selected by the sponsoring civic organizations. You will be notified if your question is used.
Cincinnati Election Forums 2009
These forums are a collaborative effort of the
Cincinnatus Association, Citizens for Civic Renewal, League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area, Woman’s City Club and Urban League of Greater Cincinnati; five local organizations working together to improve citizen engagement in our city and region.
Hi there friends,
- Now here’s an opportunity for you. I am now a fully qualified teacher of the Alexander Technique, and eager to give a lot of lessons this summer. All lessons will be free until the end of June, and then really cheap during July ($10), and pretty darn cheap during August ($20?). Starting sometime later I’ll be charging $78 for a 45 minute lesson, but still eager to make it affordable for you. So please call me to schedule a time and by all means tell your friends and family. 513 221 1289.
Don’t know what Alexander Technique is? Check out http://MissyVineyard.com or http://www.alexandertechnique.com for introductory essays and FAQ.
Also, you can read my own Alexander Technique stories at www.lloydhouse.com, follow the Alexander links.
Thanks for your interest in this wonderful work.
Ellen
P.S. Response has been wonderful this summer to this announcement! My calendar is full...a miracle. First lesson is free this summer; then lessons 2 – 4 are only $10, and lessons 5 – 8 only $20 if paid in advance, so take advantage of this rare opportunity. Eventually, when I feel ready, my full fee will be $78. If you call now and I don’t have space in the calendar, you can still have one free meeting, 3 $10 meetings, and 4 $20 meetings whenever it is that I can schedule your lesson. Get ‘em while they’re hot! This deal can’t last.
PPS: 8/13/09 ~ my enthusiasm for the Alexander Technique is growing by leaps and bounds as I give more lessons. I’ve given over 100 lessons to date, and sure enough, people look and feel the way I always feel after a lesson: much more “up”, relaxed, attractive, and encouraged about my life generally. As Richard Brennan says, “This is brain work that looks like body work.” Indeed!
Lloyd House Monthly Drumming Circle:
Did you know that on the Final Tuesday of the month we have a super informal drumming circle here? Bring instruments of any variety. We rock! Dancing. No perfectionism tolerated. Starts 6:45, ends at 8:45. Bring Snacks if you like, wine...
Roxanne, Michael, Ellen, Don (middle row- Yvonne, Jeanne, Paul, Kevin, Josie, David, (back row – Nancy, Tom, Scott
Hey all,
Sat. Sept. 12th- Waldorf event
Sat. Oct 10th- TribOrginal <http://www.barakamundi.com/triboriginal/> (Asheville,NC) part of
Sat. night big show, jamming around fires, workshop presenting
Sat. Nov. 21st- Raquy & the Cavemen <http://www.raquyandthecavemen.com/>
Send for your Absentee Ballot NOW:
Click on link below, print form, fill it out and mail it in:
http://voteforourlibrary.com/page/vote-by-mail
SECTION THREE: HEALTH CARE REFORM STUFF
Passionate about Single Payer? Kucinich has meet up teleconference tonight at 10 pm: http://healthcare.kucinich.us/
House Health Insur Bill explained
Extremely well researched and written article clarifies one of the bills before congress...house bill... Sent by Chris Smitherman. Probably his brother who wrote it. ellen
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Let facts, not fiction improve health care
Obama's reforms can cut costs, cover most of uninsured
Dr. Herbert C. Smitherman Jr.
I see the urgency for federal health care reform every day in my urban practice.
Take the case of a 29-year-old woman who was diagnosed with cervical cancer. The cancer was caught early enough to be treated with surgery, but she couldn't afford it. Her company didn't offer insurance along with her low-paying job. She couldn't afford insurance herself and made too much in income to qualify for government assistance.
Our office eventually got her the medical care she needed, but the time she needed to take off to have the surgery and recover caused her to lose her job. Now she can't afford to pay her mounting medical bills.
This story, which I see repeated in many different ways, shows that the United States provides the best medical care in the world, but has the worst way of paying for it. Unless the system is reformed, physicians like myself and other health care providers will continue to see the numbers of such hardship cases rise. The status quo is unsustainable and unaffordable for the health and economic future of this country.
The problem is critical, and President Barack Obama's health care proposals offer a solution. But scare tactics about the reform plans are steering the country away from having a reasonable debate. Americans should let facts, not fiction, drive the discussion so we can reach a social consensus.
The United States spends $2.5 trillion per year on health care -- about 50 percent more than Europe or Canada, but with worse health care results. Despite this spending, America still has 47 million uninsured. There are 18,000 deaths each year attributed to the lack of health insurance. About 12.6 million people -- 36 percent of those who tried to buy insurance on the private market -- are denied health insurance because of pre-existing illnesses. Many denied patients have cancer.
Between 2000-07, the profits of the 10 largest U.S. health insurance companies soared 529 percent, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings, while the number of U.S. uninsured rose 30 percent.
For those who are insured and feel that this issue does not affect them, they are terribly wrong. They pay a high price for the uninsured -- through higher premiums for employees and employers.
When the uninsured get sick or terribly ill, they end up in emergency rooms. Avoidable ER visits and hospitalizations cost the health care system 10 to 20 times more than if they would have had access to basic primary care early on. It would be less expensive to cover the uninsured -- giving them access to primary care and preventive services that are more cost-effective than hospitals and emergency rooms.
We proved this premise in a study done by the Wayne State University School of Medicine, four Detroit health systems and a federally qualified health center. The project was called the Voice of Detroit Initiative and was funded by the Kellogg Foundation. It was later published by Wayne State University Press as "Taking Care of the Uninsured: A Path to Reform."
This initiative enrolled and tracked the care of 33,000 people who were without health insurance over five years. The college was able to transition 55 percent of the patients out of preventable ER and hospitalizations visits into affordable primary care medical home settings. The result was a 42 percent savings in overall care.
The initiative achieved these savings by expanding primary care capacity and reorganizing the delivery system, better aligning health care services to the patient's immediate clinical needs. In other words, we got the patient to the right place at the right time for the right level of care.
Massachusetts has learned this same lesson as a result of its mandate to provide universal insurance coverage to about 439,000 additional Bay State residents. Since its law went into effect in 2006, however, the costs in Massachusetts are 33 percent higher than national average and growing faster than the rest of the country.
The reason is that although people now have an insurance card, there are not enough primary care doctors to absorb 439,000 newly insured people. So the new patients are ending up in high-cost settings such as ERs and hospitals. What we learned from the Massachusetts plan is that covering everyone without fixing the delivery system and expanding primary care capacity leads to higher health care costs.
The current House legislation, HR 3200, sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, is a step in the right direction to fixing this situation. It builds on the current system and doesn't change what works, including leaving the private insurance market in place. It keeps Medicare intact, covers all Americans and expands Medicaid to more low- and moderate-income Americans. It increases federal reimbursement to primary care physicians. It establishes a public option for low- and moderate-income Americans who make 133 percent to 400 percent of the federal poverty level with federal subsidies for families where necessary to help make insurance affordable.
This approach would cover more than 95 percent of the uninsured.
HR 3200 also ends the practice of denying insurance because of pre-existing conditions and does not allow termination of insurance if you become seriously ill. It precludes exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles or co-pays. And it ends annual or lifetime caps on health care coverage while allowing people to keep their doctor and their current plan.
To correct other misperceptions, the House legislation does not cover noncitizens or abortions. It does not lead to "death panels" or government-sponsored euthanasia.
For that matter, the public option that the Obama administration has promoted is not a government takeover of the U.S. health care system, but creates more choices by providing a competitive and affordable alternative to commercial plans.
A health care reform bill that simply adds 47 million people to the private insurance market without a public option represents a huge system of federal taxpayer subsidies to the insurance industry with no mechanisms to control costs. It would be a formula for fiscal disaster.
Much has been made of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's estimate that the House proposal would increase the budget deficit $1 trillion during the next 10 years -- an annual increase of 2 percent in the federal budget. But the CBO did not take into account parts of the proposal that would raise taxes, produce savings or reduce other spending to offset implementing the legislation.
Some experts put savings as high as $200 billion a year.
While few organizations have more respect in Washington than the CBO, it isn't infallible. In each of the past three decades, when assessing major changes in Medicare, the CBO has substantially underestimated the savings of the reforms.
While paying for health reform, the House plan ensures that about 96 percent of small businesses will pay no additional fees. Small businesses are now paying 18 percent more than big businesses for the same policy; this bill will stop this unfair practice.
Authentic, fact-based debate can help lead the country toward a consensus on health reform that increases access while keeping costs in check. But when politicians such as Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, make statements such as "We should not have a government program that determines we are going to pull the plug on Grandma," they are discouraging the constructive dialogue we need to move America forward.
Spreading false statements to scare folks into opposing reform is not the way to proceed on such a life-and-death subject. We need to get real solutions from their elected leaders.
Kucinich Wants Single Payer
From: William Messer <WFM@fuse.net>
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 02:27:33 -0400
To: Ellen Bierhorst <ellenbierhorst@lloydhouse.com>
Subject: Fwd: Health Care or Insurance Care? It's Time to Respond!
Don't forget what Kucinich is trying to accomplish. I believe backing his bill at least pulls the likely eventual compromise more toward something which will work better for more people, may keep the public option in play, and reminds us to stay mindful of a single payer plan. Ginger Lee Frank
p.s. He too is planning meet-ups around health care.
Begin forwarded message:
From: Dennis Kucinich <reply@kucinich.us>
Date: September 8, 2009 2:13:39 PM EDT
To: wfm@fuse.net
Subject: Health Care or Insurance Care? It's Time to Respond!
Reply-To: reply@kucinich.us
Health Care or Insurance Care? It's Time to Respond! Dear Friends,
The health care decision-making process in Washington is horribly tainted by the campaign contributions of insurance and pharmaceutical interests. Under the pay-to-play system health care becomes insurance care, the public option shrinks to irrelevance, the choice we are left: What kind of private, for-profit insurance do you want? This is not acceptable. We must respond now, and not settle for a plan which subsidizes insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies and sets the stage for the privatization of Medicare. We want Health Care for all the people, Medicare for All, which is exactly what the bill John Conyers and I wrote, HR 676 <http://healthcare.kucinich.us/petition/nhi_bill_final1.pdf> , accomplishes. And the only way we will achieve it is to organize and take action in our communities to effect real change at a state and national level. Let us initiate immediately an action plan to intervene and provide health care for all:
I need your help to initiate this action. If you believe, as I do, that we can and must begin a new long-term state-by-state grassroots effort to create a single-payer, not-for-profit health care system, please contribute now at Kucinich.us <http://kucinich.us/contribute>
- On-line petition <http://healthcare.kucinich.us/petition> . Please contact your lists, your family and friends. Please sign the petition for a single payer system. I will deliver the petitions directly to your Congressperson.
- Petition to download, print and circulate <http://healthcare.kucinich.us/petition/health_care_for_all_petition.pdf> among friends and neighbors - including an instruction sheet.
- A National Health Care for All Conference Call from Washington, DC, at 10 pm EDT, Thursday, September 10th at 1-800-230-1096. Join us, so that we can discuss our new beginning and ways in which we can all help. Pre-registration is necessary in order to reserve sufficient phone lines. Please RSVP here <mailto:rsvp@kucinich.us?subject=Health Care For All Teleconference> . When you call in and the operator asks, "what conference call?" tell the operator, "Health Care for All."
- Health Care Meet-Ups. Coming Thursday September 10 2009.
- Tell A Friend. Every email forwarded will make a difference? Please use the "Forward Email" link below <#tellfriend> to circulate up to 5 emails at a time to your friends.
<http://kucinich.us/contribute>
Thank you.
Sincerely.
repeated: The overwhelming majority of physicians, nurses, Americans of all kinds know we must have health insurance reform.
The time to push is now, before Sept 15 when Congress reconvenes.
What can you do?
- Telephone your 2 senators and your congressperson’s office, say you are a constituent, your zip code is xxxxx, and you want the senator or congressmember to vote FOR health insurance reform. You might also indicate support for single payer or for the public option. (That just means that every American could have their choice to participate in a private for-profit health insurance plan like Anthem, or else to participate in a public plan like Medicare.) Call back every week.
- Call your rep’s office and request a face to face meeting with a staff member to convey your views. They will schedule you one! Show up and tell them.
- Write a hand-written letter (or a printed one) in support of Reform and fax it to your reps.
- Write a hand written (or printed) and mail it
- Go to Rep. Dreihaus’ next community meeting next Wed. 7:30 PM at the Nathanael Greene Lodge at 6394 Wesselman Road. (enlargeable map at http://cincinnati.citysearch.com/profile/map/33206888/cincinnati_oh/nathanael_green_lodge_veterans.html. It is off the Rybolt Exit from I-74)
- Go to http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/health-care-action-center/?source=feature and click on buttons to write letters to the editor, call people in your area, etc.
- Go to Barackobama.com and at the very top of the screen, on the right is a place to create an “account” or if you have one, log in. That takes you to a page where you can find all the events and opportunities for helping. They will even give you a phone list of people in your neighborhood you might call. There are also plenty of links to information sources if you want to inform yourself better. Like here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/71/?e=11
- Brown, Sherrod - (D - OH)
713 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
- Voinovich, George V. - (R - OH)
524 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
- Steve Driehaus First Congressional District
441 Vine St. 3003 Carew Twr., Cincinnati, OH 45202
- Jean Schmidt 2nd Congressional District
8044 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236
I recommend a hand written letter that is faxed to the senator or congress person’s office followed by a voice phone contact. Judy said when she gets the rep’s office and says her piece, she asks them to repeat back to her what they have heard so she knows it is accurate. Another great idea.
And of course, get your friends to call and write demanding passage of a comprehensive health care bill that includes universal coverage for all Americans, reduction of costs, and choice of plans and providers.
Could we have a post card party? A telephone banking party? An email sending party? We’ve got to do something more. We could have it at the Lloyd House. Ellen
This just in from Judy Leever:
I just made my weekly calls. Here is what I say:
“Hi, I am a constituent. My zip code is 45140.
I am very much for healthcare reform.”
Then in my case, I continue to say,
“I would most prefer a single payer plan but I will take a public option. I think it is absolutely crucial that health care reform be passed.”
I then thank “Congressman Brown for his support of health care reform and Voinowich for not always voting party line. I have nothing positive to say about Schimdt so I don’t say anything except “I hope she will support healthcare reform.”
They say thank you very much I will tell him/her and I respond
“What will you say?”
They repeat it back and I thank them and go.
Don’t go into a long explanation-just tell them in a sentence or two that they can repeat back. The staffers have a chart where they check off what you say-so they have single payer on the chart or public option. They write down your zip code. If you make a special comment,it is written in the margin. At the end of the day they compile and send it to the Congressperson.
Good luck to us all, Judy
Repeated: Info on Health Care Reform:
From: Bob Witanowski <bobwit@earthlink.net>
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:56:35 -0400
Some of the best info (on Health Care Reform) is at Physicians for a National Health Plan – http://www.pnhp.org
Also HealthJustice.org <http://HealthJustice.net> and http://healthcare-now.org
Independent polls show between 60% - 75% of the American public and a solid 59% of U.S. physicians support single payer financing of health care. But the health insurance companies are spending $1.4 million dollars a day in DC trying to get health care planning to go their way - the same route that has brought us to this crisis. ...
SECTION THREE: Articles
- Michael Pollan on health, food, insurance
- Salonista in France, Roy: on French Health Care
- Bentley Davis: political update for the responsible citizen
- Physicians activists for Single Payer health care; “mad as hell doctors”, sent in by our Jenefer Ellingston in D.C.
- Readers’ Letters: Young New Yorker demands public option
- Congressman shouted out “you lie” to the pres.
Food Guru Michael Pollan on American Health: we cost more in health because of obesity which is because of our sick food distribution system.
NY Times
Big Food vs. Big Insurance
By MICHAEL POLLAN
Berkeley, Calif.
TO listen to President Obama’s speech on Wednesday night, or to just about anyone else in the health care debate, you would think that the biggest problem with health care in America is the system itself — perverse incentives, inefficiencies, unnecessary tests and procedures, lack of competition, and greed.
No one disputes that the $2.3 trillion we devote to the health care industry is often spent unwisely, but the fact that the United States spends twice as much per person as most European countries on health care can be substantially explained, as a study <http://www.nber.org/papers/w15235.pdf?new_window=1> released last month says, by our being fatter. Even the most efficient health care system that the administration could hope to devise would still confront a rising tide of chronic disease linked to diet.
That’s why our success in bringing health care costs under control ultimately depends on whether Washington can summon the political will to take on and reform a second, even more powerful industry: the food industry.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/overview.htm#2> , three-quarters of health care spending now goes to treat “preventable chronic diseases.” Not all of these diseases are linked to diet — there’s smoking, for instance — but many, if not most, of them are.
We’re spending $147 billion <http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/short/hlthaff.28.5.w822> to treat obesity, $116 billion <http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/31/3/596.full> to treat diabetes, and hundreds of billions more to treat cardiovascular disease and the many types of cancer that have been linked to the so-called Western diet. One recent study <http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/reprint/hlthaff.%20%20w4.480v1> estimated that 30 percent of the increase in health care spending over the past 20 years could be attributed to the soaring rate of obesity, a condition that now accounts for nearly a tenth of all spending on health care.
The American way of eating has become the elephant in the room in the debate over health care. The president has made a few notable allusions to it, and, by planting her vegetable garden on the South Lawn, Michelle Obama has tried to focus our attention on it. Just last month, Mr. Obama talked about putting a farmers’ market in front of the White House, and building new distribution networks to connect local farmers to public schools so that student lunches might offer more fresh produce and fewer Tater Tots. He’s even floated the idea of taxing soda.
But so far, food system reform has not figured in the national conversation about health care reform. And so the government is poised to go on encouraging America’s fast-food diet with its farm policies even as it takes on added responsibilities for covering the medical costs of that diet. To put it more bluntly, the government is putting itself in the uncomfortable position of subsidizing both the costs of treating Type 2 diabetes and the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup.
Why the disconnect? Probably because reforming the food system is politically even more difficult than reforming the health care system. At least in the health care battle, the administration can count some powerful corporate interests on its side — like the large segment of the Fortune 500 that has concluded the current system is unsustainable.
That is hardly the case when it comes to challenging agribusiness. Cheap food is going to be popular as long as the social and environmental costs of that food are charged to the future. There’s lots of money to be made selling fast food and then treating the diseases that fast food causes. One of the leading products of the American food industry has become patients for the American health care industry.
The market for prescription drugs and medical devices to manage Type 2 diabetes, which the Centers for Disease Control estimates will afflict one in three Americans born after 2000, is one of the brighter spots in the American economy. As things stand, the health care industry finds it more profitable to treat chronic diseases than to prevent them. There’s more money in amputating the limbs of diabetics than in counseling them on diet and exercise.
As for the insurers, you would think preventing chronic diseases would be good business, but, at least under the current rules, it’s much better business simply to keep patients at risk for chronic disease out of your pool of customers, whether through lifetime caps on coverage or rules against=2 0pre-existing conditions or by figuring out ways to toss patients overboard when they become ill.
But these rules may well be about to change — and, when it comes to reforming the American diet and food system, that step alone could be a game changer. Even under the weaker versions of health care reform now on offer, health insurers would be required to take everyone at the same rates, provide a standard level of coverage and keep people on their rolls regardless of their health. Terms like “pre-existing conditions” and “underwriting” would vanish from the health insurance rulebook — and, when they do, the relationship between the health insurance industry and the food industry will undergo a sea change.
The moment these new rules take effect, health insurance companies will promptly discover they have a powerful interest in reducing rates of obesity and chronic diseases linked to diet. A patient with Type 2 diabetes incurs additional health care costs of more than $6,600 a year; over a lifetime, that can come to more than $400,000. Insurers will quickly figure out that every case of Type 2 diabetes they can prevent adds $400,000 to their bottom line. Suddenly, every can of soda or Happy Meal or chicken nugget on a school lunch menu will look like a threat to future profits.
When health insurers can no longer evade much of the cost of treating the colla teral damage of the American diet, the movement to reform the food system — everything from farm policy to food marketing and school lunches — will acquire a powerful and wealthy ally, something it hasn’t really ever had before.
AGRIBUSINESS dominates the agriculture committees of Congress, and has swatted away most efforts at reform. But what happens when the health insurance industry realizes that our system of farm subsidies makes junk food cheap, and fresh produce dear, and thus contributes to obesity and Type 2 diabetes? It will promptly get involved in the fight over the farm bill — which is to say, the industry will begin buying seats on those agriculture committees and demanding that the next bill be written with the interests of the public health more firmly in mind.
In the same way much of the health insurance industry threw its weight behind the campaign against smoking, we can expect it to support, and perhaps even help pay for, public education efforts like New York City’s bold new ad campaign <http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/new-salvo-in-citys-war-on-sugary-drinks/?scp=1&sq=soda%20fat%20sewell&st=cse> against drinking soda. At the moment, a federal campaign to discourage the consumption of sweetened soft drinks is a political nonstarter, but few things could do more to slow the rise of Type 2 diabetes among adolescents than to redu ce their soda consumption, which represents 15 percent of their caloric intake.
That’s why it’s easy to imagine the industry throwing its weight behind a soda tax. School lunch reform would become its cause, too, and in time the industry would come to see that the development of regional food systems, which make fresh produce more available and reduce dependence on heavily processed food from far away, could help prevent chronic disease and reduce their costs.
Recently a team of designers from M.I.T. and Columbia was asked by the foundation of the insurer UnitedHealthcare to develop an innovative systems approach to tackling childhood obesity in America. Their conclusion surprised the designers as much as their sponsor: they determined that promoting the concept of a “foodshed” — a diversified, regional food economy — could be the key to improving the American diet.
All of which suggests that passing a health care reform bill, no matter how ambitious, is only the first step in solving our health care crisis. To keep from bankrupting ourselves, we will then have to get to work on improving our health — which means going to work on the American way of eating.
But even if we get a health care bill that does little more than require insurers to cover everyone on the same basis, it could put us on that course.
For it wi ll force the industry, and the government, to take a good hard look at the elephant in the room and galvanize a movement to slim it down.
Michael Pollan, a contributing writer for The Times Magazine and a professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, is the author of “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.”
Salonista Roy, in France, on French Health Care
French Health Care
Posted by: "LeRoy Euvrard" roy.euvrard@mac.com leuvrard
Thu Sep 3, 2009 11:53 am (PDT)
I can purchase French health insurance for about $150/month. The
French health care system is one of the best in the world according
to the World Health Organization. In my personal experience, it is
far better than the US. My cousin had a heart valve replacement
recently. While he was in intensive care, there was a nurse at his
side the whole time. When he was moved to the ward, a TV camera
monitored him 24/7. He never had to call a nurse. As soon as he
woke-up or showed any signs of distress, a nurse was at his side.
And he had the same nurse several days in a row. He now goes daily
to a special rehabilitation clinic to exercise and have his recovery
monitored by professionals. In contrast, when I had my surgeries at
Christ in Cincinnati and UCLA Medical in Los Angeles, I had a
different nurse and orderly/nurse's aid every day. No one seemed to
have time to read my chart or get to know me as a patient. Several
times my dressing leaked and it took what seemed like for ever to get
some one to come and change the dressing and bed sheets.
I think that there are several things that drive up the cost of US
health care. One is the lack of universal health insurance, which
means that those, who can not afford regular medical treatment, use
the Emergency Room for the health care needs. This is the most
expensive way to deliver health care and causes delays in the
treatment of those who truly need "emergency" care. This cost is
passed on to all the rest of us through higher hospital charges. Two
is the lack of an affective way to monitor the delivery of health
care and to remove incompetent providers. We all pay for the
mistakes through higher malpractice insurance premiums which are
passed on in the fees being charged. (I saw a nephrologist yesterday
for 15 minutes and the charge was 23 Euro, about $33.) Third, there
is no incentive for the insurance industry to drive down costs. On
the contrary, insurance executives' pay is based on the amount of
revenue generated. So the more insurance rates go up, the more the
executives make. Fourth, all health insurance is based on a claims
made. That is they pay for treating illnesses, not for keeping you
healthy. Many policies will not cover examinations and preventive
measures, unless an illness is detected and diagnosed. Those that do
cover examinations, generally pay less, on an time spent by the
provider basis, than treatment. The US may be great at treating
illnesses, but it does a terrible job of keeping people healthy.
Roy
Our DEA (democracy educator/advisor) Bentley Davis on Political Events
(Bentley has offered to step up and be our DEA... The long wished for professional whose expertise is following political issues, whose political philosophy is progressive, willing to inform and educate me and you. My plan is that we will pay her for her efforts by subscription. The sheer relief I feel at having a ‘seeing eye dog’ for the political morass is worth a whole lot. Get her flavor by reading her bulletins this fall. She’s doing this for us for free. Then we’ll talk about how to get her paid for her work. Be thinking about it. Ellen)
Hello Ellen,
Attached, please find some political updates from the past couple weeks. It includes an event happening tomorrow afternoon and an action item on a state house bill.
Best,
Bentley
9/9/09 Political updates:
City council political races: Last week, the AFL-CIO un-endorsed councilmember Jeff Berding. The Cincinnati Democratic Committee is meeting on Saturday to determine whether to also un-endorse Berding. There is a possibility that Tony Fischer might be considered for an un-endorsement as well.
Health Care Reform event:
On Thursday, September 10, there will be a protest of Whole Foods:
"TELL WHOLE FOODS' CEO: STOP TRYING TO KILL HEALTH CARE REFORM!"
In a recent op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, Whole Foods' CEO John Mackey attacked President Obama's efforts to bring quality, affordable health care to all Americans. Mackey stated that healthcare is not a right all Americans are entitled to.
Support the efforts of President Obama to ensure quality, affordable health care!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
5:00 p.m.
Meet at Madison Park
2501 Madison Road, Cincinnati
Cook-Out to follow!
For more information, please contact:
Bill Dudley, UFCW 75 at 1-800-582-1099 ext. 3041
or Terry Brennan, The AMOS Project at 513-751-2222
State House Legislation:
The Ohio State House will soon be voting on HB 176, The Equal Housing and Employment Bill. They might vote as early as Tuesday, September 15. This bill will make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in regard to housing or employment.
The state DOT has an internet survey online to gauge interest in the proposed passenger rail from Cincinnati-Dayton-Columbus-Cleveland. It can be found here: http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Rail/Programs/passenger/3CisME/Lists/Survey/NewForm.aspx
Mad as Hell Doctors Take to the Road
Dear Ellen,
Please open web link. I'm not on the bus, but I'm on their side. You may enjoy seeing this instance of doctors joining the protest world.
Jenefer Ellingston, Washington DC Green Party founder
Please open the link.
http://www.madashelldoctors.com/
Jenefer also sent this:
Ellen,
There were 350 vigils on Thursday night ... (no need to view them all ). One was held in DC and I joined. My poster said "Single Payer" ... and lots of people
did thumbs up for it ... but all their posters read "Public Option".
Actually, I will accept public option if it isn't watered down ... as it already has been behind closed doors. Can't go into details right now.
Follow Tony Weiner's House Bill 3200 which may replace Kucinich's bill. Weiner's bill will reach the HOuse floor next week..
Jenefer
My Niece in New York demands Public Option
Hi Aunt Chusti, (aka ellen bierhorst)
O.K., this is a submission to your political newsletter. It is an exact copy of what I just emailed to the White House:
***********************************************************************************
Email to President Obama on 9/2/09 by Claire Bierhorst (New York State)
I WANT THE PUBLIC OPTION. PLEASE MAKE MY LIFE EASIER. I AM A FEMALE OF CHILDBEARING AGE. I NEED TO BE ABLE TO BUY A HEALTH INSURANCE POLICY FROM THE GOVERNMENT. I HAVE HAD ENOUGH. I PAID A LOT OF MONEY TO YOUR CAMPAIGN. I AM VERY, VERY, VERY, ANGRY ABOUT THIS.
Reader incensed at “you lie” hurled at Obama
I must say: shame on Rep. Joe Wilson and the people that he represents including the Republican Party and Congress, if Rep. Wilson is not fired for saying to the President: "You lie!". We the people have endured mob activity patiently, but to have mob behavior in Congress is scandalous to the United States of America, which I honorable served for 23 years in the military.
Melvin A. Warren
MSgt (E-7), USAF (Retired)
Vietnam War Veteran
SECTION FOUR: Book, Film, Theater, TV, Music, Restaurant Reviews
Please send us notes of what you are reading or seeing. It’s entirely up to the readers to make this section interesting. We want to know what is turning you on!
SECTION FIVE: Tri-State Treasures by Jim Kesner
(Jim is out of town this month... will resume in Oct.)
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