I've been following the back-and-forth than the to and fro over health care reform. I've come to a few conclusions. First, I've yet to see a Republican who is serious about reforming healthcare. Although the media has labeled Senator Olympia Snowe as a moderate, I don't think that she even moderately understands healthcare. Secondly, all public options are not the same. If the public option does not have the ability to capture a large number of Americans and therefore spread risk over millions of people it will fail. If the public option is not able to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers then it will fail.

I have a radio show here in Asheville, North Carolina. Today, I had the pleasure to interview Mark Karlin of Buzzflash.com(I've interviewed John several times in the past he is a great guest. I've also interviewed Mike Finnegan -- Mike's blog roundup-- who is more than outstanding.) I meant to talk about healthcare and healthcare reform but our conversation seem to wander into economics and the fact that major manufacturers continue to ship jobs overseas.

by the way, if you're still pushing cooperatives, you're not serious about health care. There is no way that health co-ops the way that they are currently discussed in the Senate are gonna save anybody anything.

There are several things on my list of reforms, that have not been discussed in the media. As physicians, we need better information to take care of our patients. Simple questions, we don't know the answers to. For example: what is the best blood pressure medicine/regiment for a 42-year-old male with hypertension? This is a simple question. There are tons of different medications to lower blood pressure but which is the best? Which will help protect the heart over the next 20 to 40 years of this person's life? How much exercise is necessary to lower this person's blood pressure? The same questions can be asked for all the major diseases including diabetes and congestive heart failure. The only way that we can get better education is to get better studies. Only the government has the power to amass enough patients to give us, the physicians, the information that we so desperately need. It is this information that will help us integrate therapy and decrease our costs both in the short term and in the long-term.

I have much more on my blog -- here and here. I do love crooks and liars!

Ever wondered why the American stay in Afghanistan might be a tad longer than anyone is letting on ? Watch this video and you might find out the reason: The Heroes Of The Afghan National Army

I am sure everybody already saw this, HD shots in Detriot, right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWHdttx5UFI

Free Trade results

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6WKMNmFsxM

Separate and unequal health care. The SEC didn't suspect anything from Madoff. The party of no is also against stopping global warming. George Sr. celebrates the collapse of the Berlin Wall, even though he had nothing to do with it. Iran rejects the enrichment deal. Barry's proud of there not being enough jobs.

This evening I was sitting in a little coffee shop working on some music, minding my own business. The coffee shop owners were part of a coordinated effort to pass out candy to kids as part of a safe Halloween in my tiny town.

After dozens of kid/parent groups had stopped by for treats, in walked a mom with a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy dressed as a Portland-style hippie -- dreadlocks, tie-dye, psychedelic glasses, and carrying a protest sign. It said, "NO NEW TAXES!"

I looked at him cock-eyed and said, "you know, that just doesn't fit the mold. Dirty hippie liberals aren't supposed to protest *taxes*!"

He filled with obvious teenage angst, and said, "Mom, I told you this was embarrassing."

I told him I was only joking, that his costume looked fine. He looked at me dead-seriously, and said, "She makes me watch Fox News, too."

Like most of you at C and L, much of my day is consumed with reading the Holy Bible. Today, in my reading, I came across something that God wants me to share with you to help get the word out about a startling prophesy concerning our own times.

I was reading Luke today when a great light poured through my window and fell upon the page I was reading. It might have been the sun, but who's to say it wasn't the light of God? At any rate, I was at Luke 13:31 where some old men went to Jesus to tell him that he should run away because Herod wanted to kill him. Then, at 13:32, Jesus replies: "Tell that fox, I cast out demons..."

Tell that FOX! Why does Jesus not say, tell that snake, or tell that jackal, or tell that swine? Why tell that FOX? Well, it's obvious, this passage is warning us about Fox Noos.

And think about this: Jesus calls Herod a fox, so FOX = HEROD, right? The first letter in Herod is "h", the first letter in Hannity.If you take the next three letters in Herod, "e", "r", and "o", in reverse are the first three letters in OREilly. Is that a mere coincidence? And, most conclusively, the letter "d" -- it rhymes with the letter "g" as in Glenn, and the letter "b" as in Beck. But, hold onto your seat! Do you know that Glenn Beck's middle name is Lee? Oh, get out!!!!
Isn't it obvious that the verse is warning us that Roger Ailes is the Antichrist!!! How much more proof do we need?!!!

Happy Hallowe'en. The best day of the year!!

I'm leaving Prague and going back to Korea (just to let you know.) I can't get my visa in time.

I was all set to go out last night for Hallowe'en and fell asleep. Guess I'm getting older, eh?? My last Saturday in Prague too. Oh well.

Edwin: hope you at least had time to get to the St. Thomas Beerhouse. Haven't been in almost 20yrs, but had many, many great times there. Prague was (hopefully still is) a wonderful city.

should have had the Repug house as a pyramid which would have better represented Repug trickle down economics.

Politicians lie to the People; preachers lie to the believers; parents lie to their children.

No wonder Satan is father of all lies.

L I (F) E