We are coming down to the wire on the issue of whether or not our country is going to adopt some form of national health-care for most of, if not all, its citizens. A lot of nonsense and outright false information has been cast about during the long debates and arguments which have brought us to this point.
Some of the debates, and much of the misinformation, have been about how the US system of health-care delivery compares to systems used in other countries; particularly those which are modern industrialized democracies like our own. In August of last Summer an article published in The Washington Post did a good job of exploding many of the myths about health-care delivery in countries similar to ours. I did not see the article when it first came out and I’m sure many others did not either. So I’m sharing it here in its entirety.
This week it wasn’t much of a surprise when Attorney General Jerry Brown declared he was running for Governor of California once again. You can reach his campaign webpage here.
The announcement had been expected for some time. There are no other politically significant Democratic candidates running. (The website Politics1 currently lists three others: retired businessman, real estate investor, and San Diego economist Richard Aguirre; non-profit group founder and Pastor Joe Symmon; and Fred Medill, a college student and founder-operator of Fred TV.)
In his March 2nd declaration Brown said, “The political breakdown in Sacramento is threatening(:) …”
Jobs,
Our schools and the
State’s credit rating.
“… which is the worst in the country … Our state is in serious trouble and the next governor must have the preparation, the knowledge and the know-how to get California working again. That is what I offer and that’s why I’m declaring my candidacy for governor.”
In the last few months Facebook has made a number of changes to its user interface. Some folks like the changes and some folks don’t. That debate does and will continue.
During the same period Facebook has also made important changes to how secure it keeps the information people post on the site. Things like your personal e-mail address, what online groups you belong to, and so on.
In making those changes to a user’s security levels Facebook has sometimes clearly explained what has been changed and what steps you might want to take to make your information more (or perhaps less) secure. But it hasn’t always done so. Nor has it highlighted other steps a user might want to take to further secure their information, what other groups or companies might be highly interested in a user’s posted information, or what others might do with a user’s information.
Last December the New York Times newspaper published an article highlighting three Facebook settings every user might want to double check. If you did not see that article you can read it by following this link, The 3 Facebook Settings Every User Should Check Now — NYTimes.com.
Friday, May 21, 2010, will be the 32nd edition of the Kiwanis Special Games. The Games are perhaps the Los Altos Kiwanis Club’s most important community service project.
Established by the Los Altos Kiwanis Club, the games are now produced by all of the Kiwanis Clubs of Kiwanis Division 34. Well over 900 severely challenged kids from more than 50 area schools participate. The games are simple, but competitive, and carefully matched to the abilities of the participants.
National Federation of the Blind Applauds Measure To Ensure Blind People Equal Access to Technology
Washington, DC (January 27, 2010): Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today introduced the Technology Bill of Rights for the Blind (H.R. 4533), which will mandate that all consumer electronics, home appliances, kiosks, and electronic office technology provide user interfaces that are accessible to the blind.
Clinton Turned Right in ’96 Speech, While Obama Plowed Ahead — NYTimes.com
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Sometimes, when I’m searching for the right words to express all my feelings about the current state of affairs, I get slapped in the head with something written by someone else who does it much better than I would have.
This can be very frustrating. Particularly when I’m trying to distinguish my developing blog here with new and insightful observations of my own.
In this case I wanted to write about my feelings and thoughts about President Obama’s recent State of the Union address. But this morning I found the venerable New York Times had beaten me to the punch. And they also had some additional information I did not have. Here is the link to the story:
For myself, I think the President’s speech was right on track. I like what he said and the new initiatives he proposed. I hope him every success as we move forward.
News from the City of Oakland and the CDR Member’s Exchange
OAKLAND, Calif. – In a settlement announced January 21, 2010, by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) and the City of Oakland, Oakland has agreed to adopt an emergency plan which incorporates the needs of people with all types of disabilities.
History and Need
The suit was filed in 2007 against the City of Oakland to remedy the lack of consideration of people with disabilities in its emergency preparation plan. Plaintiffs – the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (“CFILC”), Californians for Disability Rights, Inc. (“CDR”), and Marian Gray (an Oakland taxpayer) were represented by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a non-profit law center that specializes in civil rights cases on behalf of persons with disabilities in Berkeley, California.
In my life I’ve had many special friends who are gay or lesbian. So has my wife, Donna. These friends are all honest, hard-working people, many of whom have raised or are raising happy families. Many have made important contributions to advancing and supporting the human and civil rights of all people, including people with disabilities. It is no surprise, therefore, that we have been happy to vote for measures which would allow same sex couples to marry and have opposed measures which deny such rights.
Today marks the opening of a new federal case which, if successful, would overturn California’s 2008 ban on such marriages. I was eagerly looking forward to being able to follow the arguments of both sides in this trial, particularly when it looked as if the proceedings were going to be videoed and distributed via YouTube. But that option has been blocked for now. So, if you have not seen any press reports yet, here’s a good summation from the New York Times:
This morning (Monday, January 04, 2010) my NPR alarm radio station brought me an oral essay from a writer I had not heard before. His name is Ben Mattlin and he is a writer who has a disability known as spinal muscular atrophy. It gradually and relentlessly weakens muscles.
What impressed me almost right away was how much his experiences and opinions matched mine and those I have previously heard from several of my friends and colleagues with disabilities.
I tracked Ben’s essay down through NPR.org and discovered he was accessible through Facebook.com. I’m glad to say we have since become “friends” through that medium. I’m looking to hearing more of him and his viewpoints in the future.
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