I can get to Blogger, but not YouTube, Google, Gmail, or my home page at Insight. I could understand if I couldn't get through to the first four only, since they're all owned by Google. But no, that doesn't seem to be it. I think Insight's having some issues, or at least my cable modem is. Connexion was spotty last night, although my phone was working fine (I have Vonage running off a router that plugs into the cable modem).
Huh.
I also can't view my blog on Blog*Spot. Maybe it's time to do a little tinkering, exiting out and restarting.
Today's Radioplay: 'The Camberwell Poisoners'
Born, like other comic book characters, out of an otherwise trivial but life-changing animal bite, the Rabid Librarian seeks out strange, useless facts, raves about real and perceived injustices, and seeks to meet her greatest challenge of all--her own life.
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Thursday, October 11, 2007
I saw a hawk today, flying overhead
I decided to take it as a good omen, for the Time of No Money is ending (I got paid tonight), to be followed by the Time of Tight Money. Today I borrowed some money from a co-worker so I could get home and then pick a friend up from work later. Since I was on mile 36 after the gas light came on, I think I was close to winding up stranded on the side of the road (and I don't have minutes on my cell phone for calling AAA). Thanks to Michelle, that wasn't the case, and when I went to the grocery store after midnight I got the money I needed to pay her back tomorrow. I also paid my friend back for the $5 he contributed the other day. It was a difficult time (I have almost nothing left in the cupboards in the way of food), but hopefully since I'm starting back to work at the gas station tomorrow it will get better. So, yay--tomorrow will be the time for a proper grocery run, more minutes for my phone, and more gas.
I have been seeing crows about a lot, too--usually in groups of two or three, which are also good omens. (Seeing only one crow, raven, or magpie [the article lists versions of the counting rhyme] is usually considered bad in folklore, which pays attention to the numbers, hence the song 'A Murder of One' by the band Counting Crows). Of course, in the movies and folklore they also get a bad rap for being evil, when they're really quite intelligent and engaging. We don't have magpies here in Kentucky, of course, and I don't think we have ravens, but we do have crows. I was listening to them the other day and now only do they 'caw', but there's a comforting gurgling sound they make, too. We did have ravens out in California and they were HUGE. You'd see them a mile away on dry lake beds in the Mojave. They looked like they'd go up to your knees. [They're about 22-27 inches high as opposed to road runners, which we also had, were smaller, maybe 20 inches high--certainly smaller than you'd expect from watching the cartoon. Of course, coyotes aren't really that big, either, and don't stand on their hind legs. :)]
I have been seeing crows about a lot, too--usually in groups of two or three, which are also good omens. (Seeing only one crow, raven, or magpie [the article lists versions of the counting rhyme] is usually considered bad in folklore, which pays attention to the numbers, hence the song 'A Murder of One' by the band Counting Crows). Of course, in the movies and folklore they also get a bad rap for being evil, when they're really quite intelligent and engaging. We don't have magpies here in Kentucky, of course, and I don't think we have ravens, but we do have crows. I was listening to them the other day and now only do they 'caw', but there's a comforting gurgling sound they make, too. We did have ravens out in California and they were HUGE. You'd see them a mile away on dry lake beds in the Mojave. They looked like they'd go up to your knees. [They're about 22-27 inches high as opposed to road runners, which we also had, were smaller, maybe 20 inches high--certainly smaller than you'd expect from watching the cartoon. Of course, coyotes aren't really that big, either, and don't stand on their hind legs. :)]
As you know
I am enjoying my radioplays of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Only fifty are in the collection, when there have been about 150 found. I think I'm on number 13. Today's was 'The Strange Case of the Murder in Wax'. Yesterday's was 'Mr Edwards'. It's certainly whetted my appetite for more. So even though I have a lot more to go, it will eventually end, and I was looking for more of the same. Enter The Sherlock Holmes Public Library, which is a treasure trove of the text stories (all but those in The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, which is still under American copyright), but also for all sorts of audio files, including most of the radioplays, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself, even one on 'Batman and Sherlock Holmes'. If you're interested in Sherlockiana, check it out. There's also news and curiosities, such as Sherlockian scenes in Legos.
If you haven't been to a doctor, a hospital, or pharmacy in quite awhile
then maybe you don't know about HIPAA. The rest of us get all those privacy procedures statements at least once and sometimes everytime we go. But those of us who work in those environments--even those of us who are non-clinical--gets lots of training on what HIPAA means for violations. I give you the Department of Health and Human Services' summary of HIPAA (a PDF):
So when I hear stories of Britney Spears' experiences in rehab, etc., I have to wonder where those leaks are coming from (supposed friends, or health workers hoping to make a quick buck?) Fast foward to George Clooney's recent brush with death in a motorcycle accident. The hospital where he was treated, Palisades Medical Centre, in response to leaks to the press regarding his condition, has suspended 27 of its workers for a month without pay and has admitted that as many as 40 staffers accessed his records for no reason related to his care. People are debating as to whether that was harsh; even Mr Clooney said he'd rather it be resolved without suspensions. But the hospital was put in a very bad situation by its employees, all of whom presumably had the training to know that what they were doing was both wrong and illegal. I don't know if the law requires the object of the privacy violation, the injured party if you will--no pun intended, to make a complaint to start the process of sanctions, or if it can be done if it becomes known that violations happened. (Certainly you can start the process through a complaint if your health information privacy has been violated; information for doing so is on that website). Theoretically anyway the hospital is facing a few thousand dollars in penalties if they don't correct the problem. This is how they are doing so, and they are right to. And in these days of electronic medical records, it's easier to track who had access and who abused it.
Curiosity is one thing, and I think it's natural that some might have taken a peek where they ought not have. But whoever leaked the information to the press should certainly be penalised--and that's easier to find out these days, too, even with reporters protecting their sources. If anyone is found to have wilfully imparted the information for money, the penalties to the individual become very, very bad. In other words, doing so is stupid, one of those things people do because they don't think they'll get caught at it. I don't know if any of those workers leaked the information for money--it might just have been hearsay through a grapevine as people told friends and family, for example. But HIPAA isn't anything to take chances with, and most medical professionals also have rules of ethics that should cover this without the need of sanctions. So I can't really feel sorry for those suspended unless they turn out not to have done it--and I'm afraid that they'll have to go to court to prove they didn't deserve it.
Civil Money Penalties. HHS may impose civil money penalties on a covered entity of $100 per failure to comply with a Privacy Rule requirement.88 That penalty may not exceed $25,000 per year for multiple violations of the identical Privacy Rule requirement in a calendar year. HHS may not impose a civil money penalty under specific circumstances, such as when a violation is due to reasonable cause and did not involve willful neglect and the covered entity corrected the violation within 30 days of when it knew or should have known of the violation.
Criminal Penalties. A person who knowingly obtains or discloses individually identifiable health information in violation of HIPAA faces a fine of $50,000 and up to one-year imprisonment. The criminal penalties increase to $100,000 and up to five years imprisonment if the wrongful conduct involves false pretenses, and to $250,000 and up to ten years imprisonment if the wrongful conduct involves the intent to sell, transfer, or use individually identifiable health information for commercial advantage, personal gain, or malicious harm. Criminal sanctions will be enforced by the Department of Justice.
So when I hear stories of Britney Spears' experiences in rehab, etc., I have to wonder where those leaks are coming from (supposed friends, or health workers hoping to make a quick buck?) Fast foward to George Clooney's recent brush with death in a motorcycle accident. The hospital where he was treated, Palisades Medical Centre, in response to leaks to the press regarding his condition, has suspended 27 of its workers for a month without pay and has admitted that as many as 40 staffers accessed his records for no reason related to his care. People are debating as to whether that was harsh; even Mr Clooney said he'd rather it be resolved without suspensions. But the hospital was put in a very bad situation by its employees, all of whom presumably had the training to know that what they were doing was both wrong and illegal. I don't know if the law requires the object of the privacy violation, the injured party if you will--no pun intended, to make a complaint to start the process of sanctions, or if it can be done if it becomes known that violations happened. (Certainly you can start the process through a complaint if your health information privacy has been violated; information for doing so is on that website). Theoretically anyway the hospital is facing a few thousand dollars in penalties if they don't correct the problem. This is how they are doing so, and they are right to. And in these days of electronic medical records, it's easier to track who had access and who abused it.
Curiosity is one thing, and I think it's natural that some might have taken a peek where they ought not have. But whoever leaked the information to the press should certainly be penalised--and that's easier to find out these days, too, even with reporters protecting their sources. If anyone is found to have wilfully imparted the information for money, the penalties to the individual become very, very bad. In other words, doing so is stupid, one of those things people do because they don't think they'll get caught at it. I don't know if any of those workers leaked the information for money--it might just have been hearsay through a grapevine as people told friends and family, for example. But HIPAA isn't anything to take chances with, and most medical professionals also have rules of ethics that should cover this without the need of sanctions. So I can't really feel sorry for those suspended unless they turn out not to have done it--and I'm afraid that they'll have to go to court to prove they didn't deserve it.
Monday, October 08, 2007
NPR let me down this morning
On my way to work, they were reading the news over the radio about the scientists who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine. Two American citizens (one originally from Italy) and a Briton won. So far, good. Then they gave their institutional affiliations. The announcer proceeded to say that Martin J. Evans, the Briton, was from the University of Cardiff 'in England'.
Tsk. Tsk. Cardiff is in Wales. Contrary to some opinions, Wales and England are different countries, under one United Kingdom. Wales is like Scotland in that regard. No one ever seems to think Scotland is England. What gives with Wales?
Hopefully they corrected the story or at least it was just a momentary slip. The story on the website is correct, thankfully.
Oh, well, these things happen, especially on radio, which may or may not be recorded ahead of time. But considering that NPR is considered rather highbrow, it's something you expect them to get right. :)
Tsk. Tsk. Cardiff is in Wales. Contrary to some opinions, Wales and England are different countries, under one United Kingdom. Wales is like Scotland in that regard. No one ever seems to think Scotland is England. What gives with Wales?
Hopefully they corrected the story or at least it was just a momentary slip. The story on the website is correct, thankfully.
Oh, well, these things happen, especially on radio, which may or may not be recorded ahead of time. But considering that NPR is considered rather highbrow, it's something you expect them to get right. :)
A quiz before sleeping
From Llewellyn Publishing, the Magical Personality Quiz
Results: (The Q Score supposedly measures how balanced you are in the various elements, with the smallest being the most balanced. Mine comes out as 'mild differences', almost to 'moderate'.)
Your Q Score is: 17
The Q score ideally should be as small as possible, indicating maximum agreement among elements. However, even a tiny Q score may not mean optimal functioning, since all four elements may in fact be relatively undeveloped.
Your Primary Mythical Creature
Water Types
The main strength of the Water types is feeling. The second element indicates the most probable focus for this emotional expression.
Mermaid
Water with Air
Astrologically associated with Pisces and the Twelfth House
Mermaid types are warm and caring in a passive, receptive way. They are given to daydreaming and to contemplation, a combination that can make them seem curiously absent and fey. They are among the most unworldly of all the types. Despite this they have a strong ability for clear, rational thinking that can be startling. They seem to have a deep, intuitive understanding of the oneness of the universe. They have a desire to help the world at large and are acutely aware of and sensitive to suffering. This is partly because they do not recognize the customary boundaries between people, other living things, time, space, this world and the Otherworld. They are frequently psychic. They can be brilliantly original and highly creative. They are usually regarded by others as benign eccentrics or as plain weird.
Your Shadow Creature
Fire Types
All the Fire types have problems relating to anger and aggression. The weakest element indicates the main focus of these problems.
Phoenix
Fire and Earth
This shadow is prone to a sense of stagnation due to lack of motivation and laziness. Nothing durable is ever produced. Practical activities may never be embarked upon. There is an underlying sense of futility and hopelessness. Disillusionment results from their lack of confidence that they can change anything for the better, and in any case they do not have the will. At the same time there is an underlying grandiosity and even megalomania reflected in their dreams and aspirations. They need to feel special. Instead, they may simply overindulge or neglect themselves physically. The biggest obstacle of weak Earth is to overcome self-centeredness and greed; the biggest obstacle of weak Fire is to overcome anger and aggression.
Results: (The Q Score supposedly measures how balanced you are in the various elements, with the smallest being the most balanced. Mine comes out as 'mild differences', almost to 'moderate'.)
Your Q Score is: 17
The Q score ideally should be as small as possible, indicating maximum agreement among elements. However, even a tiny Q score may not mean optimal functioning, since all four elements may in fact be relatively undeveloped.
Your Primary Mythical Creature
Water Types
The main strength of the Water types is feeling. The second element indicates the most probable focus for this emotional expression.
Mermaid
Water with Air
Astrologically associated with Pisces and the Twelfth House
Mermaid types are warm and caring in a passive, receptive way. They are given to daydreaming and to contemplation, a combination that can make them seem curiously absent and fey. They are among the most unworldly of all the types. Despite this they have a strong ability for clear, rational thinking that can be startling. They seem to have a deep, intuitive understanding of the oneness of the universe. They have a desire to help the world at large and are acutely aware of and sensitive to suffering. This is partly because they do not recognize the customary boundaries between people, other living things, time, space, this world and the Otherworld. They are frequently psychic. They can be brilliantly original and highly creative. They are usually regarded by others as benign eccentrics or as plain weird.
Your Shadow Creature
Fire Types
All the Fire types have problems relating to anger and aggression. The weakest element indicates the main focus of these problems.
Phoenix
Fire and Earth
This shadow is prone to a sense of stagnation due to lack of motivation and laziness. Nothing durable is ever produced. Practical activities may never be embarked upon. There is an underlying sense of futility and hopelessness. Disillusionment results from their lack of confidence that they can change anything for the better, and in any case they do not have the will. At the same time there is an underlying grandiosity and even megalomania reflected in their dreams and aspirations. They need to feel special. Instead, they may simply overindulge or neglect themselves physically. The biggest obstacle of weak Earth is to overcome self-centeredness and greed; the biggest obstacle of weak Fire is to overcome anger and aggression.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
The veggie bacon
works even better in the microwave. I may not be able to cook on an electric stove but I do pretty well with a microwave--it comes from years of not having a stove or oven due to a landlord's incompetence and penchant for bringing me gas stoves that leaked or caught on fire. So glad I don't live there any more, especially as it was worse than I realised. When I read HP Lovecraft's Rats in the Walls I thought I heard skittering of squirrels on the roof. Little did I know there really were rats in the walls until I got the place condemned.
WARNING: SPOILER for Beyond the Mountains of Madness follows:
***************
Anyway, speaking of Lovecraft, the game is proceeding nicely. The Antarctic expedition's ship captain has been murdered. We're not even out of port yet and we're working our butts off. Meanwhile, I got to introduce a new character briefly--she pretty much got off a plane, took a train ride to Arkham, and then was picked up at the train station and taken back to Boston and was put on another plane, because there's a mission. Plus my character who's supposed to be gestating and is under a death sentence by half-daemons has to go to a funeral at her family's in Canada and I expect the whole clan to be decimated by the creatures.
Yes, and we call this fun and keep coming back for more. :)
WARNING: SPOILER for Beyond the Mountains of Madness follows:
***************
Anyway, speaking of Lovecraft, the game is proceeding nicely. The Antarctic expedition's ship captain has been murdered. We're not even out of port yet and we're working our butts off. Meanwhile, I got to introduce a new character briefly--she pretty much got off a plane, took a train ride to Arkham, and then was picked up at the train station and taken back to Boston and was put on another plane, because there's a mission. Plus my character who's supposed to be gestating and is under a death sentence by half-daemons has to go to a funeral at her family's in Canada and I expect the whole clan to be decimated by the creatures.
Yes, and we call this fun and keep coming back for more. :)
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Today I received a letter from Dr Vice, the veterinarian
It was very comforting. It reiterated that Cerys appeared to have had a stroke and was unresponsive and unable to eat and that therefore I did the right thing in putting her down. I really like Dr Vice, and that little follow-up detail helps, too. If I ever have another pet (which I'm sure I will, I just don't plan to have one anytime soon), I'll definitely take it to Gainesway Small Animal Clinic, even though it isn't that close to me--it's worth it for the people.
Today's radioplay: 'The Living Doll'
Today's radioplay: 'The Living Doll'
Important tip
When cooking vegetarian bacon, read the package and keep the temperature at LOW to MEDIUM LOW. Otherwise you have a blackened mess in a very short time. I have never gotten used to an electric cooktop. Give me gas to cook on any day. (On the other hand, I'm a little sensitive to gas when it's in the house, so it's sort of up in the air as to which is best for me. Learning to cook on electric would be a step up.
My second try was much better, and a breakfast of veggie bacon, eggs, and Margaret (Amish friendship) bread ensued.
My second try was much better, and a breakfast of veggie bacon, eggs, and Margaret (Amish friendship) bread ensued.
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