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Saturday, March 26, 2011

Also from Metaxas' Bonhoeffer biography

A quote from Hitler:

It's been our misfortune to have the wrong religion. Why didn't we have the religion of the Japanese, who regard sacrifice for the Fatherland as the highest good? the Mohammedan religion too would have been much more compatible to us than Christianity. Why did it have to be Christianity with its meekness and flabbiness?

For those who think Adolf was a Christian guy.

Amazing Bonhoeffer Quote

Came across this while reading Eric Mextaxas' biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. DB wrote this during his 1930-31 trip to the United States, "I want to have a look at church conditions in the South, which allegedly can be quite peculiar, and get to know the situation of the Negroes in a bit more detail. I don't quite know whether I have not perhaps spent to much time on this (race and segregation) question here, especially since we don't really have an analogous situation in Germany..."
This was, of course, before Hitler's rise, but is a reminder not to take our freedom lightly.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Top Ten Movie Theater Experience #1`: "The Terminator" (1984) & "Code of Silence" (1985)

It’s a difficult call for #1 movie going experience, but I knew it would be something I saw with Mindy. I always remember hearing in my youth that one should really be more creative with dates than dinner and a movie. But movies comprised a majority of my dating life, even, especially with Mindy (often without the dinner.)

So which experience to choose? I could have gone with the movie Mindy thought was our first date, “The Purple Rose of Cairo” (1985) which Mindy thought of as our first date. (But I just asked her to go at the last minute with another couple and didn’t think it was a date.) I could have chosen the film I thought of as our first date, “Desperately Seeking Susan” (1985). (Mindy wondered why I acted so nervous, like it was a first date, when she thought it was the second.)

I could have gone with the drive-in double feature of two really bad films (“Teen Wolf” and “Volunteers” both 1985) which we saw the night I proposed. Or the movie we saw on our honeymoon (“F/X” 1986).

But I have to go with a drive-in double feature that a bunch of us guys from the dorm of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School were very excited to see. Arnold and Chuck for the price of one. I had already seen “The Terminator”, but certainly wasn’t opposed to seeing it again. And “Code of Silence” was a Chuck Norris film that had actually gotten two thumbs up from Siskel and Ebert and that did not happen very often.

So I asked Mindy if she wanted to go. She said no, but she began to pop popcorn for us to take to the show. I said to her, “Oh, come on, Mindy, you’ve never let us down before” and she agreed to go. I didn’t know that the reason she didn’t want to go was because the cost of the show would wipe out her remaining cash.

Several of us guys went, Mindy was the other girl. She rode in a different car than I did, but when we sat on cars to watch the show, she sat next to me. We came in halfway through “Code of Silence”, a film about a cop fighting police corruption. We then watched “The Terminator”, a film about utter awesomeness. We then watched “Code of Silence” in its entirety.

Mindy rode back to school in another car. But she had been right next to me for 2 ½ guy films. This won over my admiration almost as much as her willingness to listen to me talk about that incredible new comic, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

In the next couple of weeks, Mindy and I will celebrate our 25th Anniversary. Thanks, Arnold. Thanks, Chuck.

Monday, March 21, 2011

A "Weirdly Engaging" Bill Review

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Stewardship Skit from a Couple of Years Ago

[Setting – Five people lined up in chairs with usher bringing offering plate. Voiceovers are used for each person as they hold the plate, starting with the usher.]

USHER: Nothing from that first row. What a bunch of cheapskates. How are we ever going to get the parking lot repaved unless these cheapskates start coughing up some dough?

KID: (pulls out handful of pennies): I got all the pennies from my brother’s piggy bank. This is going to be the loudest offering ever.

PARISHONER 1: (holds plate in lap while puzzling over amount to write on check): Now what has the entertainment value of this service been? The music was good this morning, but last week’s sermon dragged. I hope today’s will be better. It certainly was better than the Adam Sandler movie Larry dragged me to last night, and that cost $9.00. Of course, my cable bill is $30 but the whole family uses the TV, and that’s for a whole month. I know, I’ll give what it cost to see the community theater production of “Sound of Music”. It’s important to support the arts.

PARISHONER 2 (putting envelope in plate): I do need this tax deduction! Uncle Sam is going to take a hefty bite. I need to be careful to leave the envelope right side up so people can see the size of my offering. Should I add an extra zero on the envelope? No, it would probably throw off the usher’s count.

PARISHONER 3 (putting in cash): Okay, God, I’m putting in $5 for what I did to Betty, $10 for those extra bourbons the other night and $20 for the time on that website. You know which one I mean. Does that make us square?

PARISHONER 4 (putting in a check): Thanks God, for a chance to give back to You. You’ve given me so much! It’s such fun to be able to give back.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Top Ten Movie Theater Experiences #2 “The Star Wars Trilogy”

Sure, making it a tie between the original trilogy is a cheat, but who’s reffing the game, anyway?
The first footage I saw of “Star Wars” was a preview on Creature Features. The host of the show, Bob Wilkins, was lauding the film as the “Science Fiction ‘Gone With the Wind’”. But I wasn’t impressed. I thought the ape guy (Chewbacca) didn’t have make-up nearly as impressive as what was done in “Planet of the Apes”.

My family went on vacation the summer of ’77 to Colorado. And a cousin of mine told me I had to see this film. He spoke with awe about “Star Wars”. He had already bought the LP soundtrack. So I went with him to the theater in Grand Junction. Have no idea of the name of the theater, but it had a big screen. And when those space ships passed right over my head, I was in love.

So three years later, I thought I was ready for the sequel. Yeah, I expected to love it as well, but I didn’t think there would be anything that would surprise me as much as the original film itself. After all, I had been to that universe several times by then. I went with Gregg Naslund and Garth Shaw to the Corta Medera theater with the 70 mil and the huge speakers. While waiting in line, Garth (who had seen the film) hushed some people exiting the show. Apparently, there was some big secret. I was loving the film, but when Darth’s big reveal came, I was dumb struck. The rest of the summer of 1980 was spent arguing whether it could be true. We came up with all kind of theories to work out how Obi Wan’s claim that Darth had killed Luke’s father and that Darth WAS Luke’s father could both be true. (And just about every theory we came up with was better than the lame, punk exposition of the Lucas garbage second trilogy.)

I was anxious, desperate to see the next film. In the summer of 1983, I was working at the UA5. So I was able to go to the employee’s screening the night before the opening. This was before it was common practice to have midnight screenings for the general public. We felt like we were seeing it before anyone else in the world. I invited my sister Lola and her husband Dave to come. Lola was not impressed with Jabba’s muppets, but I was okay with them. But when it came to the scene with the great pit of Carkoon, the resting place of the powerful Sarlacc, well, the awe was back in full force.

Looking back, I’m with the general consensus that the ‘Jedi’ is the least of the originals. But on that night, as the story was completed and the heroes found victory….Well, as you can see by the rankings, the first viewings of each of these films I found were theater going highlights. And you may think it sad, but they were life highlights. (I don’t find it sad at all.)

Monday, March 14, 2011

The Cost of Pretty

At a recent memorial service for a dear woman of our church, among photos of the woman’s 90+ years hung a couple of landscape paintings. Pastor Becca commented, “She used to offer some of her paintings for sale at the Fall auction. But usually they didn’t sell. It made me sad.”
I recently finished reading a novel about the art world, An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin (Grand Central Publishing, 2010). The book covers the New York art scene from the 1990’s to the present(ish), focusing on a Holly Golightly-like character by the name of Lacey. Lacey ventures into the world of art for the love of it, but something changes in her when she works at a prominent auction house.
Martin writes, “At Sotheby’s, she started to look at paintings differently. She became an efficient computer of values. The endless stream of pictures that passed through the auction house helped her develop a calculus of worth…When Lacey began these computations, her toe crossed ground from which it is difficult to return: she started converting objects of beauty into objects of value.”
Lacey pursues art for money’s sake, and hurts a number of people along the way.
It is quite easy to fall into the trap of viewing art through the lens of monetary value. Not just painting, but also literature, photography, woodworks, etc. If someone is willing to pay for it, then it has worth. Stephen King wrote in his book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (Scibner, 2000), “If someone is willing to pay for your work, you’re a writer.”
I’ve attended writer’s conference with fellow writers who seemed desperate to see their name in print. Desperate for the validation of a publisher saying, “I’ll buy it” and anxious that many readers would then buy it as well.
But most paintings are never sold. Most poems go unpublished. Most of the screenplays written are never filmed.
So was all that work pointless? Much of it was. But not all.
Paul wrote in Colossians 3: 23 & 24: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
The work we do, the art we create, can have great value, eternal value, if it is done for the Lord’s sake.
Recently, I watched the 1965 film, The Agony and the Ecstasy, a historical drama about the painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Charlton Heston plays Michelangelo and Rex Harrison plays Pope Julius II. Both act with hammy abandon.
According to the screenplay by Philip Dunne (based on Irving Stone’s novel), Michelangelo did not want to take on the job. He was a sculptor who didn’t want to paint. He was not inspired by the assignment to paint the apostles. And he didn’t trust the Pope to pay him adequately because he had failed to pay him in the past.
He took the job because he felt he had no choice. He submitted to the authority of the Pope.
But eventually, he took the job. According to the film, he had a vision of the Creation of Man and that was the beginning of his epic recreation of stories of Genesis in what is arguably the greatest artistic creation in history.
According to the film, he was never properly recompensed financially. But I don’t think the artist ultimately cared about that; he came to see the work as something done for the glory of God and not himself.
Those paintings I mentioned at the beginning of the article? They do have an audience. I wouldn’t be surprised if God has his own gallery in which those landscapes are quite prominently displayed.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Airport Skit

Here's a skit I wrote for tonight's church dinner with a travel theme. Y'all feel free to use it.

Airport Setting

Roxanne: Dean! I didn’t know you were flying out today!

Dean: Yeah, well, my flight was delayed. With security and all, it can take so long these days.

Roxanne: These days it’s really smart to pack light, to get through security and baggage check.

Dean: I always pack light these days. I don’t bother packing shampoo and soap because the hotels already have it.

Roxanne: I learned from Survivor I don’t need to pack a toothbrush. I can always find twigs that you can fray to provide good dental hygiene.

Dean: I found if I bring a small deck of my cards, I don’t need to bring my lap top computer. I just use it to play solitaire anyway.

Roxanne: I don’t need to pack books anymore. I download books to my phone.

Dean: I don’t pack a hair dryer. I just stick my head out of the rental car where ever I’m going.

Roxanne: I don’t pack jewelry. I learned to make darling ear rings out of baggage claim checks.

Dean: I don’t bring T-Shirts. I’m going to buy souvenir shirts anyway, so I just where those.

Roxanne: I don’t pack nylons anymore. I bring along silk worms. They don’t take any space. They weave darling panty hose.

Dean: Why do you need a coat when there is always local game you can hunt for furs.

Roxanne: You can make such cute skirts from the local grasses.

Dean: Most places you go in the world you can find sheep and you can use their wool to make great sweaters.

Kid 1 (dragging trunk): Roxanne, you forgot your luggage.

Kid 2 (dragging bigger trunk): Dean, you don’t want to leave without this.

Roxanne: It’s lighter than it looks.

Dean: Mine too.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Top Ten Movie Theater Experiences #3: “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962)

This is probably the best film on the list. It got the Academy Award for Best Picture the year it came out. But I didn’t see it the year it came out. I saw it in re-release when I was in the 4th grade. I think it I saw it at the Coddingtown Cinema in Santa Rosa. I liked it, but had a hard time following the plot. This could because I was in the 4th grade. It could also be because in re-release an hour had been hacked out of its nearly four hour length. This was not a top movie theater experience.
The next time I saw the film was in 1989 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The film had been carefully restored to David Lean’s original vision. (But not fully restored. Some footage appears to be forever lost, and other segments needed to be dubbed because the original sound track was lost.)
Mindy and I went to see the film in 70 mm, a huge picture on a huge screen. And that is how this film is meant to be seen. The story of a passionate, perhaps mad, Englishman who entered the world of the Arabian desert is perhaps the greatest epic ever made (step aside “Gone With the Wind”.) There is a scene in the film where Sherif Ali (Omar Sherif) thinks T. E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) is lost in the desert and may never return. But then he (and we) sees a tiny speck on the horizon through the sand billowing in the desert wind. That speck becomes a man…Lawrence. That scene does not have the same impact in 35 mm on a smaller screen, let alone on a television screen (even a home theater.)
That was a wonderful night, but it was still not the best.
An even better experience, #3 on this list was when I could take my kids to see “Lawrence” in 70 mm at the Castro Theater in San Francisco. It is a true cinema palace, with art deco interior and an organ that plays before the show. The huge theater was full the night we went. It was amusing to hear the audience laugh knowingly when the dialogue referred to the foolishness of Western nations interfering in the Middle East (this was not long after the start of the second Iraq war.)
We watched up in the balcony. During intermission, the projectionist let the kids into the booth to look around.
But the best thing was being able to share with my kids the glory of Lean’s beautiful vistas, O’Toole’s impassioned performance and a story from history told with humor, majesty and mystery. One of the most lovely images in cinema is Lawrence spinning in the sand in his first native robe.
I’ve taken the kids to other films at the Castro (the original “King Kong” and “Blade Runner”), but this was a truly memorable night.


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Monday, September 27, 2010

Fall...a time to change. Fall... a time for a new perspective.  Fall...a new beginning.'s hard to believe the change in the temperature outside can ignite all those feelings.  I am ready for them all!
I recently got a new camera and as much as I love it, I hate it in the same breath I say I love it!  I know the camera doesn't take the shot, I do!  That's the problem, ME!  I become so frustrated that I become my own worst enemy.  That's where the new perspective comes in, I am working on getting one!  I am trying to take one day, one photo, one moment and capture that moment and quite worrying about the results.  It is what it is!  Cherish the moment and move on, quite worrrying about whether it looks like someone else's photo,  will anyone like it, is it edited right....none of those things matter.  I like it, that's all that really matters.  Well...enough talk!  Heading out to get the change photo at a time!

"It's better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation." -Herman Melville-

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Sunday, September 7, 2014

Ruby 9 ....busy Lady!

Well, Ruby 9, my alter ego has been a busy Lady recently.  I started this little business to occupy some of my time that was spent sitting around feeling sorry for myself!  YES....I am admitting to having a pity party every now and then.  I have missed having kids to tend to and I guess I thought I would get use to feeling unneeded at some point but it didn't happen.  I decided to take matters into my own hands and reinvent myself.  Ruby 9 is my new personality and she's ready to make STUFF!

I have had a variety of requests recently.  I have made little girl ruffle pants, baby name banners, covered pillows, tutu's as well as making several of my custom made travel iron/curler bags I created!

It has been so much fun as well as tiring at times but so rewarding.  My old hands need a good hot soak after some of the days I have put in cutting and sewing but it's been worth every ache and pain!

I am so blessed with a talent God gave me and I plan to use it and enjoy every minute.

"Just call on Me.  I guarantee I will answer you.  I will make you strong and brave." Psalms 138:3

I asked and He delivered, I am feeling strong and brave again.

Go make your day AWESOME and thanks for dropping by!

  1. Hi Deb! My name is Heather and I have a quick question about your blog that I was wondering if you would be able to answer! My email is Lifesabanquet1(at)gmail(dot)com :-)

    1. Heather, let me know what your question is and I would be glad to see if I have the answer.

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Monday, August 31, 2009

August 31, 2009

Well, as usual, it's been a while since I last wrote. Again, that's a good thing, since Anne continues to do incredibly well. God is taking care of her as only He can. Her labs continue to be normal. Where we used to be facing low neutrophil counts, today's was again within normal range. She's continued to have no side effects from the chemotherapy. Even her hair has stopped falling out! If you didn't know she had cancer, you'd never guess. She actually has even worked a couple of days in the office in the last couple of weeks--not putting patients in rooms like she used to, but scheduling surgeries, answering phones, editing dictation, etc.

She even felt good enough to go away this past weekend. I had taken Friday off (a rare event, but I was supposed to go to a meeting in Memphis that was cancelled at the last minute) so I took the opportunity to spend some more time with my "lovely bride" (an inside joke if you've ever listened to Christian radio). We wound up going to the Leelanau Peninsula with our friends Andy and Sharon. We had never been there before, even though we have lived in Michigan for 20 years now. To think it's only 2 1/2 hours away or so. And talk about beautiful. It reminded me a lot of New England, especially when we visited a couple of lighthouses, and "Fishtown" in Leland, near where we stayed. Although it rained all Friday and Saturday, we had a great time. We rested a lot, and visited a bunch of wineries the area is famous for. The wine's not nearly as good as from California (they can't grow the variety of grapes because of the short growing season), but really they weren't that bad--so I had to buy some, of course. We also had some excellent meals (mostly fresh fish from Lake Michigan), and did a bit of shopping in some of the little shops in Empire, Leland, Sutton's Bay and Traverse City. Overall, I'd say we had a fantastic time. I can't wait to go back already.

My verse for today is: "But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God." Psalm 146:5, NLT

How true that is! Anne and I are so incredibly joyful to be coming out of this experience. Of course it's not over yet, but the end is in sight, and God has provided us with miracle after miracle. Anne had chemo treatment number 9 today--only 3 more after this one. We'll be hoping for surgery after that to remove the colon mass--hopefully the liver tumors will have shrunk so much that they don't need to do anything about them. I'm expecting them to necrose and die completely--and I'm convinced it will happen. Her latest liver function studies are normal--mine aren't even normal (and it doesn't have anything to do with how much alcohol I drink, thank you--it's genetic).

Well, enough for now. I better hit the sack so I can function in the office tomorrow (yuk--I hate office hours).

God Bless,

Monday, August 17, 2009

August 17, 2009

Halleluia, Halleluia, Halleluia!!! If you have any question about how awesome our God is, read this: Anne had chemo treatment number 8 today (actually she's still getting it--the 5-FU is pumped in over 46 hours, so she technically isn't done until Wednesday morning). Before they started the chemo they did some bloodwork to check her white blood cell count, neutrophil count, and this time her CEA level. The CEA is a tumor marker that may or may not be elevated in some cancers. It just happened to be elevated in her--almost a level of 3700 (normal is 0-5!!), and was first measured after we came home from her first chemo treatment at Mayo Clinic. It had dropped to somewhere in the 200-something range after her 4th treatment. Well, today it was 7--that's right--basically normal. I can only think her tumors are basically gone--or at least they aren't working like tumors any more. They certainly aren't growing (last week her liver enzymes were normal), and they aren't producing CEA any more. PRAISE GOD! Like I've said before, we've been praying for a cure, and I know that's what we're getting, thanks be to God (and all of you for praying for her).

I know I've used this verse before, but it's worth repeating:

The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.

~ Lamentations 3:25, NLT

I can think of others, like "Ask and you shall receive", but right now I'm a bit too excited. It is all I've been thinking about since Anne called me this afternoon. I also said I would shout it from the mountain top, so I have had this blog connected to Facebook, not quite a mountain top, but at least it will reach a lot of people! Please pass the info on to your friends, especially those who have been praying so they can see how their prayers have been working. And keep them coming! I'm assuming we'll be headed to Mayo Clinic again probably in early December to have the colon tumor removed, or at least that may be the plan (God willing). The doctors there said they didn't need us to come back a couple of weeks ago just for a consultation/update, because they could do what they needed with the CD of the CT scan of Anne's abdomen, but would be willing to see us back in the future if need be. Sounds like "they need be" to me!!!!!!!!

God Bless (and thank you all!)

Sunday, August 9, 2009

August 9, 2009

There now, I didn't take as long to write this time. Anne has done incredibley well this week. She recovered from the chemo in what seems like record time--I think this time she was tired for only about 3 days. I think her body has adjusted to the chemo. The Neulasta seems to be helping as well--since her white cells and neutrophils are staying in a more normal range, it must have something to do with her ability to fight the effects of the chemo on her system.

Speaking of effects on her system, the chemo seems to be doing the job not only on the liver metastases, but on the colon tumor itself. She will undoubtably be embarrased by this tidbit, and mad at me too, but on Friday she passed her bowel stent. I got a frantic call from her while I was operating on Friday. During the morning, she noted something a bit wrong, and found the stent making it's way out! I won't go over details (for fear of reprisals), but apparently her tumor has shrunk enough that the stent fell out!!!! I think that is a fantastic bit of news. Praise God. Obviously, her colon has opened up enough that the stent is no longer necessary. The stent looks like a metal Chinese finger trap--In it's opened state, it pushes against the bowel wall (or in her case the tumor) to open the inside of the intestine so she doesn't get impacted (I know she's going to kill me for going into this!). Her's was a 30mm stent. Well, apparently her canal is now greater than 30mm wide, so it just fell out. I'm excited about that. Just one more small miracle that has been happening. There are now quite a number of things that have happened to show all of us that God is working on her--either directly through His love for her, or indirectly through the medical care she has been given.

Now how's this for a Bible verse:

The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.

~ Lamentations 3:25, NLT

I'd say He is! He has heard all of our (and your) prayers and is acting upon them. We have definitely been seeking God more for help in this trying time, and He is comforting us, as are all of you. She has 5 more sessions of chemo to go through, and the end of the tunnel is in sight. The past few months have indeed gone by quickly. Thanks to global warming (not) we have had a beautiful summer here in Michigan--not too hot, and fairly wet, but not too humid either. I'm not so sure the farmers have been happy, but I have been. As much as I miss going to Nigeria (another team from HELP goes over in a few weeks) I must admit, I don't miss the heat over there. There are 2 seasons in Nigeria---Hot and Wet, and Hot and Dry! I've never been one for really hot (75-80 degrees is fine by me) which is probably why we wound up here in Michigan anyway. Mind you, I'd be happy if it were 75 degrees all year round, which I can't say we have here, but it's easier to get warm than it is to get cool, so I'll put up with it.

God Bless,

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

August 4, 2009

Well, here I am again, late to the post! I guess I don't realize how I am not writing in to this thing that frequently, until someone brings it up to me. Well, no news is good news. There really isn't much to report on again. Anne has been doing incredibly well. She has passed the half-way point of her chemo and in fact yesterday had number 7, without any glitches whatsoever. Her white blood cell count and neutrophil counts are within normal range, thank God. She was also started on a new drug, Neulasta, which is apparently better than Neupogen to keep her WBCs and neutrophils up. It seems to be working. Thank you God for giving man the ability to research and come up with new drugs to help people. The Neulasta costs something like $4000 per shot (she'll get one every other week), but thankfully it is covered by my insurance, so I only have a $60 copay. I also thank God I have insurance that has covered a lot of these costs.

I guess I can't go on without commenting about what is going on with our healthcare debates (debacle would be a better word). The plan currently before Congress is a bad one. It is over 1100 pages, and there are a lot of problems with it, not least of which would be a true rationing of care to elderly patients, but I also believe to cancer patients. There is no question that in order for this plan to work, rationing will happen. The plan will look at not only your age, but also your prognosis, and decide if you deserve treatment or not. They will look at "the number of years the treatment will benefit you". If indeed your prognosis is poor, or you're old enough, you will not get the treatment if it "costs too much". They are concerned that most of the health care dollar spent in Medicare is spent in the last 2 months of life, for instance. Well, duh, most people with Medicare (insurance for those over 65) are a lot closer to the end of life than say a 30 year old with private insurance. But should we deny say a total hip to a vibrant 85 year old just becaus they don't have that many years left? Or chemotherapy to a cancer patient who has a not-so-good prognosis? Well, according to Obama, the answer is yes. He has stated that there should be counsellors who will help you make a decision to enter hospice, for example, rather than take treatments that "cost too much". Sorry, I don't buy that. According to my God, all human life is sacred, we are made in "the image of God". We all have value in the eyes of God, irrespective of our age or health or "social status" for instance. A decision to not be treated should be the individual's not society's. I don't want some counsellor telling me that I'm too old or too "expensive" to be treated. That's why I have private insurance, so I can make the choice, along with my insurance company, of course. But I can also choose to pay out of pocket if the insurance company won't pay. That would not be possible with a government-run insurance company, as happens in Canada, where it is illegal to go outside the national health plan (unless you can afford to come to the US).

And don't think Obama doesn't want a national health, single payor system. He has stated it a number of times, and it is preferred by a lot of Democrats in Congress. There are a lot of other issues that I am against with this health plan but this is not the place to talk about them. I just wanted to mention one that is near and dear to my heart.

I'll leave you with this passage:

He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

~ Psalm 91:4, NLT

God bless,


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Thursday, February 7, 2013

Sew Grateful Project Day

I was recently selected to test a bag for Sara, who blogs over at Sew Sweetness. It was a wonderful opportunity as I sew mainly clothes, but have enjoyed the few bags that I have made.

Sara designs and sells bag patterns.

I am “sew” grateful to have had the opportunity to assist someone start up their small business, by testing and commenting on the instructions on a pattern before they start selling them. I am now busy with another bag, but have to keep it secret until it is released!!

This bag was called the Accordion Bag. I decided to use black twill for the body of the bag and use scraps of silky type fabrics for the flap. I was going through the de-cluttering of my sewing room and clearing the junk, I had two bags of scraps to throw out, but rescued enough to stitch together and pleat for the flap. I then used black leather like fabric for the piping. I had used this for the edging of the corset I made in December.

As most of the fabric was used for various dresses and tops that I have made for myself, I call this bag my Memory bag!

Because of the fabric on the flap, I see this as a bag I will use in the evenings.

Previously I have been a tester for a Sewaholic pattern. I tested the Alma blouse in summer last year. Again, this to me shows how the sewing community assists each other. We help new independent designers with their businesses.

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On Ethiopia’s Charges of Terrorism Against Political Leaders

John Kirby
Assistant Secretary and Department Spokesperson, Bureau of Public Affairs
Washington, DC
April 29, 2016

The United States is deeply concerned by the Government of Ethiopia’s recent decision to file terrorism charges against Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) First Vice-Chairman Bekele Gerba and others in the Oromia region who were arrested in late 2015.

We again urge the Ethiopian government to discontinue its reliance on the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation law to prosecute journalists, political party members, and activists, as this practice silences independent voices that enhance, rather than hinder, Ethiopia’s democratic development.

We commend Ethiopian officials for pledging to address legitimate grievances from their citizens and acknowledging that security forces were responsible for some of the violence that took place during the protests in Oromia; however, the government continues to detain an unknown number of people for allegedly taking part in these protests and has not yet held accountable any security forces responsible for alleged abuses. This undermines the trust and confidence needed to produce lasting solutions.

We urge the Ethiopian government to respect due process of those detained by investigating allegations of mistreatment, by publicly presenting the evidence it possesses against them, and by distinguishing between political opposition to the government and the use or incitement of violence. We reaffirm our call on the government to protect the constitutionally enshrined rights of its citizens, including the right to participate in political parties, and we urge the Government to promptly release those imprisoned for exercising these rights.


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Posts Tagged Committee to Stop FBI Repression

Why I Oppose a Grand Jury Investigation of Anti-War Activists

A contradiction to ponder:

  1. A three-year investigation by the Department of Justice into the CIA operatives who carried out waterboarding, filmed the acts on 2 men, and then destroyed the tapes, ended this past November – with the government deciding not to prosecute anyone. Jason Leopold, in Special Prosecutor Declines to File Criminal Charges Over Destruction of CIA Torture Tapes wrote:It is widely believed that the videotapes were destroyed to cover up torture. It is also believed that the tapes were destroyed because Democratic members of Congress who were briefed about the tapes began asking questions about whether the interrogations were illegal, according to Jane Mayer, author of the book, “The Dark Side” and a reporter for The New Yorker magazine.
  2. A two-year secret federal investigation of the U.S. anti-war movement has been conducted by the Obama administration, apparently with a federal grand jury in Chicago hearing evidence from Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, looking into “possible links between U.S. anti-war groups and foreign terrorist organizations,” according to the Chicago Tribune.  Fitzgerald issued subpoenas beginning in September 2010, delivered via FBI raids to their homes, for activists to appear before the grand jury.  With all the records sealed by court order, it is impossible to know about the scope and intent of the probe.

But knowing what we know about how the “war on terror” has been conducted, one can be suspicious that the aim of the first investigation was to find no crimes, while the aim of the second is to manufacture crimes.

23 anti-war activists have now been targeted by the FBI, many through September raids that confiscated a wide range of personal material. In FBI Raids Anti-War Activists Homes in Midwest, Revolution newspaper reported after the initial raids:

The FBI spokesman in Minneapolis was quoted in the Chicago Tribune, “The warrants are seeking evidence in support of an ongoing Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation into activities concerning the material support of terrorism.” This was a charge which activists immediately dismissed as illegitimate and unjustified. No arrests have been made and the FBI admitted that there was no “imminent danger” to the public.

9 of the 23 activists have subpoenas compelling them to appear before the grand jury on Tuesday, January 25.  Their profiles and background are posted by The Committee to Stop FBI Repression.  According to the site:

These activists are involved in many groups, including the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee, the Palestine Solidarity Group, the Colombia Action Network, Students for a Democratic Society, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. These activists and many others came together to organize the 2008 anti-war marches during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

The Committee’s site continues in a section on Grand Juries:

Some of those targeted have traveled to other countries to understand our government’s role in places like Palestine and Colombia. While there, they met with people to learn about their experience facing brutal repression from U.S. sponsored regimes, and brought their stories back to people in the U.S. Hearing about the reality of U.S. military aid is not a crime, and yet this appears to be the target of this investigation.

The Committee’s demands are:

  • Stop the repression of anti-war and international solidarity activists.
  • Immediately return all confiscated materials: computers, cell phones, papers, documents, etc.
  • End the grand jury proceedings against anti-war activists.

Grand Juries as Politically Repressive Tools

It’s important to know how grand juries are used in political investigations in this country.  Glen Ford, in President Barack “Midnight Raid” Obama: End Your Wars at Home and Abroad writes

Grand juries are places where rights are butchered, and we can clearly see the broad outlines of a mass prosecution strategy unfolding, in which grand juries are the engines of political destruction.

Revolution newspaper gathered resources from the Center for Constitutional Rights in The Grand Jury – The Grand Inquisition and summarizes:

The person who has refused to testify [before a grand jury] can be brought back before the judge and held in what is known as “civil contempt” of the court. Without a trial, the judge can imprison the person for whatever is the length of the grand jury. Grand juries are normally 18 months, but there are special federal grand juries that are empanelled for 36 months, and this can be extended because it is “special.”

Historically, the Justice Department and the FBI have used the subpoena power of the federal grand jury, coupled with compulsory immunity, to jail activists who refuse to cooperate with government investigations. In the 1960s and well into the ’80s, there were many instances of courageous people who refused to testify before grand juries.

Joe Iosbaker, one of those originally subpoenaed said in October,

“We have nothing to say to a Grand Jury. Most people do not understand how secretive and undemocratic the Grand Jury is. I am not allowed to have my lawyer with me. There isn’t even a judge. How strange is that? It is the U.S. prosecutor with 23 people they hand picked to pretty much rubber stamp whatever the prosecutor says. A person is defenseless in that situation.”

Maureen Murphy received a subpoena on December 21 to appear on January 25.  In explaining why she will not testify, she cites the danger not only to the activists in the United States by giving legitimacy to the investigation, but principally to those they could be forced to testify about in other countries

I have no intention to participate in the government’s witch hunt. It is very clear that no crime has been committed and that the government’s motivation in issuing these subpoenas is to have us name the names of other activists not only here in the United States, but also in places like Palestine and Colombia, where many of us have traveled to learn about the human rights situations in those places. We can only assume that the US government shares intelligence with the governments of Israel and Colombia, whose repressive military rule the US bankrolls at the US taxpayer’s expense. And it is essentially a prison sentence or worse for human rights activists in Palestine and Colombia to be singled out and identified in this way. And I have no intention in playing any role in that.

Jess Sundlin, another whose home was raided, said

“If our friends choose not to testify, they could be imprisoned. It could be for months or even years, like in the case of Professor Abdelhaleem Ashqar, who faced the same prosecutor we face and who was investigated of violating the same law we are confronting. Before he was acquitted of the charges against him, Dr. Ashqar was sentenced to criminal contempt for refusing to testify before Fitzgerald’s grand jury in Chicago. The punitive sentence against him was more than 11 years. Again, he was acquitted of the crimes the grand jury was investigating.”

Needed: A Wave of Support for Antiwar Resisters

On Tuesday, January 25, The Committee to Stop FBI Repression, and affiliated organizations are holding protests of the grand jury investigation in dozens of cities.  I’ll be in Chicago that day, outside the Federal Building, in support of those refusing to testify.

Jill McLaughlin, in Reality And Morality: Standing Up To Repressive Forces While Standing Up For Humanity expressed the mission of World Can’t Wait in opposing this dangerous and repressive investigation.

We cannot allow these repressive attacks to deter us from righteously opposing and resisting the crimes of our government. We must have courage.

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My Paintings

 This beautiful little girl is Jillian, the granddaughter of Dennis Light, a firefighter with the Yuma Fire Department. I was commissioned to paint her from a Facebook picture I got off his photo album as a surprise for her grandmother. He surprised her, alright. The painting also won a blue ribbon, first place, at the Yuma County Fair last year in the Portrait division.

The adorable painting of the baby and mother is Kayla and Jarrod. They won me a Purple ribbon, Best of Show, in Portrait this year.

The next two paintings are my children. Adam is my younger son, and the gorgeous brunette is his bride, Diana. This painting, done in acrylic on canvas, won me a red ribbon, second place in portraits. The last painting is pastel on heavy, watercolor paper, and is Adam dressed up, ready for a 50s, sock hock with is sweetheart.

Mikey and Brooke said...

These are all fantastic. I love the baby and the mom. You've captured a moment in time and its precious.

Susan Finan said...

Beautiful paintings!

SNOWDRIFT a romance novel

I have a new novel on pre-order. Snowdrift is my first romance, and I love the characters so much!  Here is what the story is about....


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14 September, 2010

Yummy Rich Razzleberry

When I first heard the colour Rich Razzleberry, it conjured up all kinds of images for me - mainly of ice cream.  Don't ask me why, because although I do love ice cream, you can't go past the good old New Zealand favourite of Hokey Pokey. Anyway, I love Rich Razzleberry and have been using it quite a lot since it was introduced to us, back in June. Here's a card I made using it against Whisper White which I think, makes a nice crisp combination.

Stamp Sets: Printed Petals, Perfect Punches
Cardstock: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Rich Razzleberry 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, White Jumbo Brad, 1/2" Circle Punch, Extra Large Oval Punch, Dimensionals, Perfect Polka dots embossing folder.

  1. This is gorgeous, Debbie. I love Rich Razzleberry and Whisper White together too.

  2. A bueatiful combination and very striking card Debbie!

  3. I love this card , Rich Razzleberry is one of my favourite colours

Thanks so much for taking the time to leave me a comment. I really enjoy reading them. Regards, Debbie


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Sécurité Informatique

Using VBA Emulation to Analyze Obfuscated Macros

ViperMonkey is an experimental toolkit that I have been developing since early 2015, to parse VBA macros and emulate their execution. This articles shows how it can be used to analyze obfuscated macros and extract hidden strings/IOCs.

Malware Search

This custom Google search engine helps you find malware samples containing specific strings, filenames, hashes or other IOCs. It uses the data indexed by several websites including malwr.com, hybrid-analysis.com, virustotal.com and virusshare.com.

For example, search "VB_Nam" to find malicious VBA macros, or "\objdata" to find RTF files with OLE Package objects.

How to detect most malicious macros without an antivirus

mraptor is a simple tool designed to detect malicious VBA macros in MS Office files, based on characteristics of the VBA code. This article explains how it works, and how it can be used in practice.

Anti-Analysis Tricks in Weaponized RTF

This article describes several anti-analysis tricks found in recent malicious RTF documents, and how I improved rtfobj to handle them.

8KB of malware crammed into a single command line in a macro

A few days ago, @Bry_Campbell told me about a strange sample with a malicious macro, that could not be fully analyzed with online sandboxes and the usual tools.

How to grill Malicious Macros - SSTIC15

Since 2014, malicious macros are coming back. And their success in recent campaigns demonstrates that it is still an effective way to deliver malware, sixteen years after Melissa.

This is a presentation that I gave to the SSTIC symposium in June 2015, translated to English. It explains what malicious macros can do, how their code can be obfuscated, and some of the anti-analysis tricks observed in recent cases. Then it shows several tools that can be used to analyze macros, including oledump and olevba.

Tip: how to find malware samples containing specific strings

It is sometimes useful to look for malware samples containing a specific string. For example, you might look for samples sharing similar code to analyze a malware campaign with different targets. Another use case is discovering the original version of a modified file, as described in my article "Unmasking Malfunctioning Malicious Documents".

Unmasking Malfunctioning Malicious Documents

From time to time, people report strange malicious documents which are not successfully analyzed by malware analysis tools nor by sandboxes. Let's investigate. (this is a follow-up to the post "Malfunctioning Malware" by Didier Stevens)

olevba - a tool to extract VBA Macro source code from MS Office documents (OLE and OpenXML)

olevba is a script to parse OLE and OpenXML files such as MS Office documents (e.g. Word, Excel), to detect VBA Macros, extract their source code in clear text, decode malware obfuscation (Hex/Base64/StrReverse/Dridex) and detect security-related patterns such as auto-executable macros, suspicious VBA keywords used by malware, and potential IOCs (IP addresses, URLs, executable filenames, etc). It is part of the python-oletools package.

Weaponized MS Office 97-2003 legacy/binary formats (doc, xls, ppt, ...)

This article describes the Microsoft Office 97-2003 legacy/binary file formats (doc, xls, ppt), related security issues and useful resources.

Syndiquer le contenu


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Practical and Helpful Tips: Technology

How Technology Can Help You Balance Work And Personal Life

Its easy to see that balancing career, extracurricular activities and family life is not that simple. There are many responsibilities at home and at work that can be overwhelming and difficult to manage. In this day and age, we can use technology to achieve a more organized and balanced life. Here are the areas of your life in which technology helps you achieve work-life balance.

Time: Most smartphones and tablet computers come with useful features to help you effectively manage your time. You should take the time to study the manual that comes with your gadget in order to fully utilize its features. You can also choose specific applications that can work best for you and download it directly on your tablet or phone. You can choose from a variety of apps that will let you effectively manage your schedule at home and at work. You can effectively manage your to do lists simply by using your gadgets.

Finances: There are programs that you can use on your computer to help you manage and monitor your finances. You will be able access your online bank account by linking it to these programs. It is best to choose a program with a bills scheduler feature so that you will never miss a due date. Aside from being user friendly, these programs will also let you link the data to your tablet or smartphone so you can manage your finances all the time.

Social media: Social media is a powerful tool used by many people to create new relationships and strengthen existing ties. Social media applications like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are just some of the most popular sites that we use to connect or communicate with others. It is possible to share information through these programs such as photos, audio files or music, videos and news articles. You can use social media technology to stay in touch with family, friends and colleagues. Even if you do not have time to meet up with them personally, you can still keep in touch and be constantly updated.

Career: Technology provides many ways for you to manage your work day more efficiently. You will be able to collaborate with colleagues remotely and also share important documents or information through applications such as Google Docs. Meetings via the Internet or video calls can also save you time and money. This is virtually cost-free as you only need a webcam and a computer connected to the Internet. If you want to expand your professional network, LinkedIn and other similar sites lets you do these with ease.

Technology is a tool to help you manage your personal and professional life, not to replace personal connections. When utilized properly, technology can be a great tool in managing your personal and professional life.

Source: Click Here

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Friday, February 3, 2012

An Unlikely Idol

As I think about a perplexing friendship and my eighteen-year-old son who doesn't feel the need to fill me in on all the details of his life, I realize that there is very little I can do about either of these relationships.  I do not understand, nor can I change, the friend's turnaround in behavior toward me, or convince my son that he does still have a responsibility to respect parental authority even though he is legally an adult.  Yet I find myself fretting daily over these strongholds in my life.

Praying through these matters yet again, I sensed the Holy Spirit gently impress upon me that I had allowed both individuals, or at least my desire to fully understand and control them, to become idols in my life.  Generally we think of idols as things we desire more than God, but I wonder if sometimes we ourselves don't become an unlikely idol by trying to figure out what only God can know or resolve what only He can fix.

As a parent, I have spent eighteen years teaching my son right from wrong, modeling God's principles for living, and praying that somehow he would comprehend and choose to live according to those principles.  While not a total rebel, my son has his own ideas about God, life, and what constitutes responsible behavior.  Having experienced my own moral failures as a young person, it is hard for me to stand by and watch him make his own mistakes, yet that is how he must learn.  Consequences are perhaps the best teacher of the principles for living which God has established in Scripture.  Who am I to force an adult to do anything he doesn't want to do?  God gave us free will, and while as parents it is up to us to guide our children into following God's will for their lives, there comes a time when we can no longer impose our will, or God's, upon them.

Perhaps you are not a parent but are in a relationship that has left you frustrated and bewildered.  Let me encourage you not to turn that frustration into an idol, but rather surrender it to the only One who fully understands your heart on the matter.   Rather than ask God to change that individual, ask him to change you and to use the hurt to draw you closer to Him.  The pain you feel can only become peace as you steadfastly focus your mind on God (Isaiah 26:3).

God does not condemn you for the way you feel (Romans 8:1), but He longs for you to trust and draw near to Him.  "This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.  For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything" (1 John 3:19-20).  Even when you cannot voice the deepest hurts and longings of your heart, God knows.  He cares.  He is waiting with open arms to comfort and love you, if you will but draw near by faith.

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Media & Press Coverage of “Chan v. Ellis” Appeal

ga-supreme-court-150pxMost recent articles listed first of media & press coverage of the Chan v. Ellis Appeal.

From 2015

Washington Post: Volokh Conspiracy (August 24, 2015)

‘You are also ordered not to post any further information about the [plaintiff]’

Tom Crawford’s Georgia Report (April 8, 2015)
Ga. Supreme Court hands down ‘poetic’ justice in stalking case

Harvard Journal of Law & Technology Digest (April 6, 2015)
Georgia Supreme Court Holds Message Board Comments Are Not Stalking

 Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Deeplinks (April 2, 2015)
Censorship Order That Threatened Websites and Message Boards Overturned

Courthouse News (April 2, 2015)
Georgia Supremes Deal Defeat to ‘The Dash’ Poet (April 2, 2015)
Commentary on Chan v. Ellis, a Restraining Order Appeal Recently Decided by the Georgia Supreme Court

Techdirt (April 1, 2015)
Georgia Supreme Court: No, Writing Mean Things About Copyright Trolling By Linda Ellis Is Not ‘Stalking’

Washington Post: Volokh Conspiracy (March 31, 2015)
Harsh public speech about a person isn’t ‘stalking,’ says Georgia Supreme Court (March 30, 2015)
A Victory for Free Speech: Matthew Chan Prevails in His First Amendment Appeal of a Lifetime Restraining Order

Eric Goldman’s Technology & Marketing Law Blog (March 29, 2015)
GA Supreme Court Fixes Overbroad Injunction Against Message Board Operator–Chan v. Ellis

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (March 27, 2015)
Georgia Supreme Court overturns stalking order against website owner

Daily Report (March 27, 2015) [Requires Registration to view]
Georgia Justices Toss Stalking Order Against Critic of ‘Dash’ Poet

WXIA 11 Alive (March 27, 2015)
GA Supreme Court rules online criticisms were ‘free speech,’ not cyberstalking

From 2014

Restraining Order Abuse (November 1, 2014)
Criminalizing Criticism: Restraining Orders, the First Amendment, and Chan v. Ellis

Daily Report (October 8, 2014) [Requires Registration to view]
Justices Explore if Internet Speech Can Be Stalking by Alyson M. Palmer

Washington Post: Volokh Conspiracy (September 9, 2014)
Amicus brief in Chan v. Ellis, where a judge ordered a Web site operator to remove all posts about a particular person by Eugene Volokh

Harvard Journal of Law & Technology Digest (July 30, 2014)
Georgia Supreme Court Takes Chan v. Ellis Appeal to Redefine First Amendment Right on the Internet by Yixuan Long

Restraining Order Abuse (July 23, 2014)
A Case of Restraining Order Excess That’s Headed to the Georgia Supreme Court

Ars Technica (July 21, 2014)
GA Supreme Court will consider sweeping gag order against anti-troll site by Joe Mullin

Fight Copyright Trolls (July 17, 2014)
Court of appeals orders Georgia censorship case transferred to Georgia Supreme Court by SJD

From 2013

Digital Medial Law Project (DMLP)
Chan v. Ellis (Last updated November 5, 2013)

Alex Jones’ InfoWars (March 27, 2013)
Court Ruling Threatens Internet First Amendment Freedom. by Kurt Nimmo

Alex Jones’ Prison Planet (March 27, 2013)Court Ruling Threatens Internet First Amendment Freedom. by Kurt Nimmo

Daily Dot (March 27, 2013)
Court hits anti-copyright-troll website with censorship order by Kevin Collier

Ars Technica (March 27, 2013)
“I made some stupid posts”: Anti-troll site gagged after threats against poet by Timothy B. Lee

Techdirt (March 27, 2013)
Georgia State Court Issues Censorship Order Blocking Free Speech On Anti-Copyright Troll Message Board by Mike Masnick

Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Deeplinks (March 26, 2013)
Georgia Court Censorship Order Threatens Message Boards Everywhere. by Kurt Opsahl

Fight Copyright Trolls (March 23, 2013)
Copyright troll Linda Ellis succeeds in censoring her outspoken critic, the founder of by SJD

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About Matthew Valor 102 Articles

Matthew is the Publisher and Editor of He is also the Founder, Editor, and Host for Matthew is the author of several business books & audio programs. He is an entrepreneur, real estate investor, and First Amendment advocate.

1 Comment

  1. Abuse of Copyright Law by Copyright Trolls & Bullies

    There are two types of people in this world.

    1. Those who want to make money by protecting their work legally via copyrights

    2. Those who want to share everything freely, openly and without any type of restrictions

    I, myself belong to the latter type who loves to get educated (and educate others) via free research in libraries or web. If there’s any copyright which I’d want to display on anything I produce or work, it will go something like this;

    My reasoning is simple; For every free input, there should be a free output. However, not everyone will agree as they will come up with a gazillion reasons and logics to make money off of someone’s FREE and public domain information. These money-hogs actually use (or abuse) the copyright law to extort money out of an innocent and a totally naïve researcher via threats to sue in the court of law for the lack of licensing, a modern term of paying to use their information or media. This reminds me of a James Bond movie slogan “License to Kill”. Sometimes, too much law prohibits free spirit of innovation, research or movement of information across different mediums.

    To avoid such copyright trolls, you can always include the following information at the appropriate section of a web-page or a book;

    1. Title of the media or publication
    2. Author’s or Owner’s name
    3. Online Link Where found

    If you have modified their work in any way (provided their license allows you to do that or you got their permission via mail), you can add the word “DERIVATIVE” or “BASED UPON”.

    For example, you need an image of a squirrel in your website or a book. If you use online research tools, you’d see hundreds of images related to squirrel which are licensed by greedy individuals or organizations ready to sue you in the court of law unless you pay their license fee. To filter out such money-hogs, there’s a very useful online tool;

    Checkmark the “use for commercial purposes” and the “modify, adapt, or build upon” boxes. Select the appropriate website where you want to research (Be ware to avoid the ones mentioned below). And enter your search term “Squirrel”. Select the image to extract the reference information as mentioned above before using it.

    In the worst-case scenario, if you mistakenly (or innocently) used someone’s licensed work and they request you to take it down, you can request further information to prove they are the actual owners of that particular item. If they cooperate with you nicely and professionally by providing you with the maximum information possible (which is verifiable), you should honor their request to remove their copyrighted work immediately. Otherwise, there’s almost a quarter million dollars fine for using someone’s copyrighted or licensed work without their consent. However, If that individual or organization starts off by threatening to sue you instead of a nice request, you got a copyright troll on your hands.

    Unless they provide you all of the information (they may provide you part of it, but not all), simply ignore such threats. If such a troll happens to be an attorney, research about their respective bar association license number and file the complaint with the bar’s administration. You can also file the complaint in the respective State’s Attorney General’s office and FTC as well. Trollish attorneys are usually relentless and use all kinds of legal jargon to prove you as some sort of a criminal in their letters by assuming you are guilty of a deliberate and a willful violation of their client’s copyright or license.

    I used to hate the “IGNORE” word. But today, I love it. It pisses the hell out of copyright trolls who are so desperate for our money and attention. There should be a provision to “criminalize” such an abuse of copyright law by trollish organizations, individuals and attorneys. Let’s rally our own Congressmen and Congresswomen to introduce such “Anti-Bullying” and “Anti-Trollish” provisions to the copyright law.

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AC222 Principles of Finance 3 credits

The financial principles and accepted practices which need to be mastered by all managers including banking, money, credit, financial instruments, investments, financial planning, internal and external auditing, profit, stocks, bonds, and other financial forms will be examined.

AC262 Accounting for Managers 3 credits

This course deals with accounting, cost, finance, and information systems used for business managers to make strategic business decisions to improve the financial performance of a business enterprise.

AC101 Principles of Accounting I 3 credits

An introduction to the basic accounting principles and theories, principles, and financial information systems. This course covers the double entry accrual system and addresses financial reporting of current assets, liabilities, and long-term assets along with an analysis of financial statements.

EC101 Microeconomics 3 credits

A study of the basic economic principles related to supply and demand, consumer behavior, market dynamics, income distribution, government influence, and comparative economic systems with major focus on free enterprise and capitalism.

EC201 Macroeconomics 3 credits

The study of economic principles related to global and national economies, income accounting, unemployment, inflation, fiscal policy, public debt, monetary systems, and economic growth or retraction.

MG101 Introduction to Business 3 credits

This course provides students with a foundation in functional areas of business, including environment, planning, entrepreneurship, management, marketing, distribution, finances, and ethics. Introduces business terminology and concepts.

MG102 Principles of Marketing 3 credits

This course involves an integrated analysis of the role of marketing within the total organization. Specific attention is given to the analysis of factors affecting consumer behavior, the identification of marketing variables, the development and use of marketing strategies, and the discussion of international marketing.

MG202 Business Roundtables 0 credits

The School of Business & Government holds a number of Business Roundtables every year with business leaders in small, medium, and large businesses. The roundtables are designed to give students an opportunity to understand how theory and practice come together in the actual experiences of significant business people.  Students will be required to interact and network with these business leaders during and after the roundtables. Students are required to attend at least three roundtables during their college career in order to complete this pass/fail requirement.

MG203 Distinguished Speakers Series 0 credits

The School of Business & Government hosts various significant experts and nationally recognized thought leaders. The goal of the Distinguished Speakers Series is to allow students to learn from experts, significant authorities, and leaders in various areas of significance to the students enrolled in the School of Business & Government students. Further, these Distinguished Speakers Series events are held on Ohio Christian University campus to give students the opportunity to network and meet these experts and authorities while on campus.

Students must complete two of these.

MG328 Business Analytics & Statistics 3 credits

This course is designed to introduce students the methods and tools to interpret, evaluate, and analyze business data and determine the appropriate statistical methods to use in decision-making in business. This course will especially focus on the interpretation and integrity of charts, graphs, and other numerical and statistical presentation of data. Particular emphasis will be given to the impacts of probability, distribution, sampling, simple linear regression, and correlation analysis on the various methods of presenting of business information.

General Education Math Credit

MG330 Career Development Seminar 0 credits

The Career Development Seminar is a practicum designed to assist and give the student practical strategies and skills related to career searches, preparing for job interviews, resumé preparation, networking, and developing a career portfolio. Special emphasis will be given to developing career goals and plans. The seminar will be held 6 times every other fall semester. Students must complete 4 of the 6 sessions in one semester to receive pass/fail credit for this seminar.


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31 December 2015

Happy New Year!

So we reach the end of another interesting year for radio enthusiasts.  A year where mighty radio companies have taken a tumble in the eyes of the buyers. Reputations have been damaged possibly beyond repair. Staunch defenders of radio brands have had to take a hard look and reevaluate things for what they really are. Numbers of radio operators continue to decline in many areas whilst some small sections of the hobby are booming - (The Midweek Nets!!!!!!)

PMR446 has seen its first truly mobile radio offering in the guise of the Midland GB-1. Too little, too late perhaps and overpriced but certainly an interesting addition to the radio hobby.

Looking at CB radios, the real stinker of 2015 has been the President Jackson 2 Chrome - What a steaming pile of SH!T - Not bad on AM/FM but simply awful on SSB. At £250 it's one to steer well clear of!!!! - Did President not learn anything from the Lincoln 2??????

There have been a few good or even excellent radios about but there is no doubt that the real winner has been the Albrecht AE6110. A cracking little radio with performance which totally outstrips its diminutive size. I am yet to hear of anyone who doesn't like this radio and for around £50 it's a real bargain.

Therefore I have no hesitation in announcing that the Albrecht AE6110 is "Delboy's Radio Of The Year 2015"!

Best wishes to all for 2016!

30 December 2015

Christmas 2015 CTX from the Black Mountains

Video: YouTube/UKCBTV

Midland GB-1 PMR446 Now In Stock @ Knights!

So there you go folks, you can now get your hands on a Midland GB-1 PMR446 radio from Doug at Knights.

Knights Website: LINK

29 December 2015

A Look Back At CB Radio In 2015!

Video: YouTube/M0OGY

Dave (M0OGY) takes a look back at CB Radio in 2015

Possible Aurora Predicted For New Years Eve!

Source: Twitter/@TamithaSkov

Be sure to listen on the air for wispy voices and strange sounding conversations as auroral conditions have been predicted to occur.

28 December 2015

CTX AM NET 27 Dec 2015

Video: YouTube/rigsearch

This video shows a contact on AM between the Welsh Mountains and Sevenoaks in Kent, a distance of approx. 175 miles!

27 December 2015

Midland GB-1 Due in at Knights £119

Doug @ Knights appears to be the first of the main retailers to announce the impending arrival of the Midland GB-1 PMR446 radio.

The radio is due in the next few days, selling at £119, an expensive PMR446 for sure! But with the ability to be modded for extra fun this may temp some to part with their cash!

Knights Website: LINK

Instruction Manual: LINK

26 December 2015

President Grant 2 ONLY £99.95 - Nevada BOXING DAY Special Deal!

Nevada are selling the President Grant 2 (NOT PREMIUM) for only £99.95 - Limited to only 20 pieces so first come first served!

24 December 2015

Merry Christmas Everyone!

It's that time of year to thank everyone who took the time to visit the blog and my other websites (Almost 10 million hits to date in total) and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

Here's to 2016!!!!

21 December 2015

Aurora 20/12/15

Video: YouTube/Carl Gorse

Video: YouTube/Tony Everhardt

Look out - The aliens are coming!!!!!

20 December 2015

Aurora Alert!

Aurora KP Index expected to reach KP8 within the next hour!

I have already heard Finland, Sweden, The Netherlands, and Iceland on the CB bands.

President Grant 2 Xmas Deal @ Nevada

Nevada have the Grant 2 on offer this week for only £159.95

15 December 2015

CTX Christmas Activities!

    (Click Image To Enlarge)

Those brave guys from the CTX team will be out and about again over the Xmas period so if you hear them be sure to give them a shout!

More on the Charlie Tango Website: CLICK HERE

2 December 2015

New PMR446 - Midland GB1

The 'world's first mobile in-car PMR446 radio' apparently!

Midland GB1 Features at a glance

  • Microprocessor‐controlled frequency
  • 8 channels PMR446 FM
  • 'Flip' function: the radio can be mounted with the speaker facing up or down; the display can read in either orientation
  • Adjustable squelch on 9 levels
  • SCAN function
  • LCD display
  • Integrated magnetic antenna
  • TOT (Time out timer)*
  • Side tone: noise blanker at end of transmission
  • Monitor function
  • Busy channel (BCLO‐Busy Channel Lockout)*
  • Broad/narrow band selection 25KHz/12.5KHz (only export version)*
  • High/low power (only export version)

UK Price Around £169.99

Website link: CLICK HERE

My thoughts - A nice looking radio which certainly makes PMR446 more useful when out mobile. Almost giving users a true UHF CB System, something I've long been asking for. The radio can be modded for extra channels/power if required.

However, this should have come out 15 years ago. Anyone who wanted a UHF CB system is already using 'other equipment' and let's be honest, who in their right mind would spend £169.99 on this radio when for less than £20 they can get a Baofeng UV5R which gives more power, more channels and many more features????

Don't get me wrong, this is a step in the right direction towards UHF CB but way too late and way too expensive in my opinion.

'Colin The Head' certified?

Maybe this should have been published on April 1st.... However here is the story that 'Colin The Head' has been awarded the prestigious title of "Ambassador for CB radio in the United Kingdom"!

Full story: CLICK HERE

30 November 2015

Martin Lynch and Sons Christmas Video!

Video: YouTube/MLandSshop

The 'HEX' - SSB Net!

    (Click to Enlarge)

'Hilltoppers and Extreme Ground Wave DX'ers Winter SSB Net!!!!'

27.405 (Ch 40 mid band) USB from 18:00 hours on 19/12/2015

More info on the Charlie Tango Forum: CLICK HERE

29 November 2015

CB Radio Lab Test: mTech Legend 3

Video: YouTube/TRXBench

Uniden made but how does it measure up? TRXBench takes a look....!

27 November 2015

Waters & Stanton Black Friday Deals - 10% Off!

24 November 2015

President Grant 2 ONLY £149.99 - Nevada Black Friday Deal!

Predicted by many as a possible Black Friday deal and here it is - Nevada have the President Grant 2 (Not Premium) on sale for only £149.99.

You can see this deal along with others on the Nevada website: CLICK HERE

Martin Lynch and Sons Cheeky BLACK FRIDAY Video!

23 November 2015

Shack In A Box!

Video: YouTube/Wow Sly

An interesting project for sure.....!
Charlie Tango Extreme AM Net Saturday 28th November 2015

Those intrepid guys from Charlie Tango Extreme have announced their latest AM net. Taking place on Saturday 28th November from 18:00 - 21:00 hours.

Calling will take place on the UK AM calling channel - 27.125Mhz Ch.14 Mid Band then QSY to a clear frequency.

Give a shout! Nice bit of AM, just like the old days!

18 November 2015

World Radiocommunication Conference Approves Global 60 Meter Allocation! (5MHz)

Agreement at last on the 60m (5Mhz) band with a small global allocation of 5351.5 - 5366.5Mhz with a tiny output power of 15 watts EIRP.

For more on this story follow the link below.

15 November 2015

President Grant II Premium with DSP!

Video: YouTube/Klaus R.

So here we have a President Grant 2 Premium with a DSP board fitted. An interesting idea for sure but as the cost of the radio plus the cost of the DSP unit plus time and cost of having it fitted comes to about the same as the price of a Yaesu FT817 I can't see this catching on!

2 November 2015

31 October 2015

President Electronics Promotional Videos!!!

President have released several promotional videos for their radios, none of which appear to point out the many serious flaws in the equipment!!!! (poor echo, crappy audio, overload on SSB, noisy receive, ghost mic keyers, AGC problems, loose controls, channel skipping etc....)

And then they give us a video entitled "Good Old President" - Yes President that was when you did know how to make good radios......!

Sadly no more!!!!!

Videos: YouTube/President Electronics
THE BIG NET 2015!!!! - Final Reminder!!!!!

Modified President Grant 2 - Less Noise, Improved Receive!

Video: YouTube/prespostt.com

Text from their YouTube channel:

"RX modified Grant 2 in an electrically noisy environment coming from the antenna. Notice the dramatic change in NB operation

Stock on right and modified on left

Modified radio has a tunable S-meter and smoother RX audio modified to my own like. S-meter is very lazy on SSB with weak signals but it is set to 50uV S9 and 160uV S9+10dB and working correctly in all modes. Fix is about to come but have to figure out best way to do it.

Both radios have same sensitivity measured 12dB sinad in all modes. You have to use slightly more volume in AM/SSB to hear the weakest signals.

President should have done Grant 2 this way from the beginning

So the question has to asked - Why cant President make a decent radio when a simple mod is all that is needed????

26 October 2015

25 October 2015

President Grant II Premium PART 2 - RX Tests Stateside

Video: YouTube/M0OGY

In part 2, Dave compares the RX on the original Grant 2 with the new Grant 2 Premium

The M0OGY Review - President Grant II Premium PART 1

Video: YouTube/M0OGY

Dave (M0OGY) takes a look at the latest, and hopefully the best, incarnation of the President Grant 2!

Earlier models suffered from minor niggles which annoyed some users. President do appear to have listened to their customers and have modified the radio accordingly.

In this video Dave runs us through the features and gives us a look inside the radio showing the differences between the new and old model. In PART 2 we'll see how the radio performs on air.

24 October 2015

Channel 28 AM - Stateside!

Video: YouTube/Charlie Brown

Wicked skip on Ch38 CB Radio

Video: YouTube/Radionut63

CB RADIO ... Sounding its best!

Video: YouTube/26TANGOMIKE037
So You Send Your Faulty President Grant 2 Away For Repair.......

I am (or rather was) the proud owner of 2 President Grant 2 radios. However a few months ago one of them developed a fault. For no apparent reason the S-Meter would show a constant noise level of S8-S9 even without an antenna attached! (See video below)

So I contacted the retailer from whom I bought the radio, they were very helpful instructing me to return the radio immediately.

The radio was sent and upon receiving the radio the retailer contacted me telling me that they had sent the radio to President for their assessment and action.

Several weeks went by and nothing heard so I contacted the retailer who in turn contacted President. President apparently informed them that they were having to completely replace the main board in the radio and it would be completed shortly.

Several more weeks went by and again nothing heard. By now the radio had been away for two months!

I once again contacted the retailer who once again contacted President. They were informed that the radio would be returned soon.

A few days later I get a message that the radio had been repaired and is on its way back! Yipppppeeeee!!!!

The radio arrives, I open the box and I see my lovely President Grant 2 covered with greasy fingerprints. So covered in fact that when you held the radio you could physically feel the greasy residue on the radio. Furthermore, the front plastic screen on the radio was covered with scratches and marks which had not been there when the radio was sent for repair. I immediately contacted the retailer to inform them of this unpleasant discovery. They were quite naturally very shocked to hear about this and promised to take up the matter with President.

However, after weeks of trying to get someone at President to return their calls/emails the retailer said they had given up and offered to sort out the problem directly with myself. Something that I very grateful to them for and I personally have now reached a satisfactory conclusion to this awful experience.

But it does raise the question about Presidents apparent customer service, How could they possible ruin a customers radio then apparently ignore all attempts to get it sorted out?

Makes you wonder!

Anyway here's a short video showing the state of the screen on my President Grant 2 when it came back from repair......

22 October 2015

20 October 2015

NEVADA Get The President Grant 2 Premium In Stock!

Priced at £219.95, this could be the radio that the Grant 2 should have been first time around!

18 October 2015

Galashiels Radio Rally 2015

CTX Halloween AM Net

The CTX gang are at it again with another AM NET on Saturday 31st October 2015 18:00 - 21:00 hours.

Calling will take place on the UK AM Calling channel 14EU (27.125Mhz) then QSY when contact is made.

So do listen out and join in with the fun!

17 October 2015

Galashiels Radio Rally 2015

Just a reminder that The Galashiels Radio Rally takes place tomorrow (18th October)

The Volunteer Hall
St John Street
Scottish Borders
Doors open at 11.15am (Disabled access from 11.00am)

Video from last years rally:

11 October 2015

Reminder: The Big Net 2015!

Celebrating 34 years of legal CB radio in the UK - Monday 2nd November 7pm-10pm - Main Net on Ch34 UKFM (27.93125Mhz)

9 October 2015

Rip Off Britain? - CB Radio Price Comparisons

Many UK operators (Including myself) feel that CB radio prices in the UK are too high. But are we justified in thinking this?

To try to answer this I have looked around the web to get the prices of radios sold in Europe to compare them to UK prices.

Below you can see price comparisons between radios on sale in Europe verses the UK:

I feel that there is only one conclusion to be taken from the prices shown - With differences of up to 34.5% I think there is a little room for prices to fall in the UK!

* Exchange rate as of 09/10/2015

President Jackson 2 Chrome Limited Edition: First Mini-Review

So Presidents flagship CB radio the Jackson 2 Chrome hit the shops in the past few days. I was lucky enough to get  my hands on one of the very first to become available. Having used it for a few days these are my initial findings based on the radio I have in my possession:

The radio looks gorgeous, with a style that takes you back to the 80's.

In the box you find the usual standard microphone, mounting bracket, power lead, instruction booklet etc.

On closer inspection the 'chrome' controls actually look quite 'plasticy'. There is also some play on the controls. They wobble from side to side. The radio itself seems well built with a nice heat sink on the back (Hinting at a higher power output!). All the switches and controls are brightly backlit and the analogue S-Meter is clearly visible.

The radio features include: Roger Beep, NB/ANL/Hi-Cut, Priority Channel, SWR Meter, VOX, Fine/Course Clarifier, RF Power Adjustment, Squelch/ASQ, Mic Gain, RF Gain, External Speaker Socket.

AM and FM incoming and outgoing audio is nothing short of excellent. The supplied standard microphone works very well. However SSB is a different story. In common with several of the newer radios (Most notably the President Lincoln 2) I found that the Jackson 2 Chrome suffers from  distortion on strong signals on SSB. You can reduce the RF Gain and this will clear up most of the distortion but if you are listening to say two stations talking, one of which is nearby and the other is a distant station you find yourself constantly having to raise and lower the RF gain to listen to the two stations.

The radio also appears to 'drift' slightly on the receive and occasional clarifier adjustments are needed.

Furthermore, the radio I have is slightly off frequency on transmit. I don't have a frequency counter to test this exactly but comparing it to several other radios (including amateur equipment) the Jackson 2 appeared to be approximately 300Hz low in frequency on both USB and LSB. Whilst not a massive amount this was enough to provoke several comments from other stations who were having to tune me in and is on the verge of being outside specifications!

All the SSB problems were still evident when the radio had been used for some time and was fully warmed up.

I tested the power output on my radio and found the following:

4 watts on AM/FM and 8 watts on SSB when the radio was in STANDARD mode.

13 watts on AM/FM and 18 watts on SSB when the radio was in EXPORT mode.

Therefore when in STANDARD mode the radio is bang on with the power output on AM and FM but considerably short of the allowed 12 watts on SSB.

One other disappointing thing is that when in STANDARD mode and operating in the UK setting the radio will only do FM, there is no access to AM or SSB on the mid band frequencies. The mode switch is used to switch the radio between UK40 and EU40 and has no effect on the operating mode. I realise that the UK CB radio market may be small but you'd think that some 15 months after AM and SSB were legalised in the UK radio manufactures would accommodate this into their new radios.

CONCLUSION: I had really high hopes for this radio and had been looking forward to getting my hands on one but I have to say that I feel rather disappointed. Sure the radio LOOKS fantastic but the SSB problems are unforgivable on a 'top of the range' CB radio and the loose, wobbly controls have no place on a top of the range radio. The lack of AM and SSB in the UK mode is another serious omission for UK operators.

If this radio retailed for £149 some of these problems could be dismissed but when you are paying £249 you expect something special and I feel that this radio comes nowhere close to being special!

Having previously faced much criticism over problems with the Lincoln 2 and the Grant 2 I was expecting more from President this time around but sadly it looks like they haven't learnt from their mistakes.

Appearance: 9/10
Features: 8/10
Build Quality: 7/10
Performance AM/FM: 10/10
Performance SSB: 3/10
Value For Money: 5/10

Overall score: 6/10

6 October 2015

President Jackson 2 Chrome CB Radio - EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK!

The World first look at the President Jackson 2 Chrome Classic CB Radio!

President Jackson 2 CHROME - World's First Photos!

So the rumours appear to be correct (Someone did buy one!) and here we have it, the first pictures of an actual President Jackson 2 CHROME in the real world!

Looks like a lovely radio for sure and very difficult to get your hands on due to a limited supply.

Out of the box it has all the usual Multi EU bands with 4 watts AM/FM and 12 watts SSB, and can of course be set to EXPORT mode with a little extra output power.

It remains to be seen if this radio will become a truly 'classic' President. Only time will tell!

Home Brew SSB - QRP Radio On The Air

Video: Youtube/mk1tina

This video shows a 'home brew' QRP SSB transceiver in use and sure is working well! Great use of an old CB radio case.

5 October 2015

BREAKING NEWS: President Jackson 2 Chrome sold in the UK!

As yet unconfirmed, but rumour is rife across the web that someone in the UK has bought a new President Jackson 2 Spangly Chrome Limited Edition!

Personally, I'm sceptical but stranger things have happened.

We wait with baited breath....

Yosan Micro CB Radio

Video: Youtube/Rigserach

Small seems to be all the rage these days! This radio has been around for a while. Not as good looking as the Albrecht AE6110 in my opinion but still a nice little radio that manages to do what radios costing 5 times as much cannot - It gives you AM in UK mode!

3 October 2015

President Jackson 2 CHROME:
Nevada Starts A Price War? - £239

So it's started, first we had Knights pricing the President Jackson 2 Chrome at £249. Now we have Nevada firing the first shot with a price of £239 (Thats when they get them in stock of course, so you may need to wait). LINK: CLICK HERE

As I have already said on the blog, I had one of these radios in my hands last week and was tempted but the price put me off. It has not gone unnoticed that some 10 days after the radios became available a search of YouTube comes up with ZERO videos of this new radio. That suggests that I am not the only one who thinks the price is too high. Normally when a new radio comes out you find videos/reviews on YouTube within hours of the radio going on sale. Yes they are in limited supply but there are now plenty of radio dealers around Europe who have them in stock. You'd think that SOMEONE would have bought one a stuck it up on YouTube!

Maybe the well publicised problems with the President Grant 2 and President Lincoln 2 are still playing on peoples minds?

Poor band conditions no doubt have also had a part to play. It is understandable that when the radio is so quiet people don't feel like spending hard earned cash on new equipment.

So I wonder, which supplier (if any) will be the first to offer this radio at a price under £200?

The answer is - Probably none of them! But I'm sure that if it were to happen, this radio would sell really well!

29 September 2015

Knights - President Grant 2 PREMIUM On Sale Now £219

Well done to Doug from Knights as he appears to be first again with the new improved Grant 2 Premium.

CTX Radio - Delta Alpha LOTA 26/27th Sept. 2015

Video: Youtube/UKCBTV

Well done to the CTX guys who despite very poor band conditions appear to have had a cracking weekend!

28 September 2015

President Jackson 2 CHROME - In My Hands But I Didn't Buy It!!!!

So today I had a shiny President Jackson 2 Chrome in my hands. It looked lovely, well built and I was very tempted.... but after buying 2 x Grant 2's and a Lincoln 2 recently I just couldn't bring myself to part with another £250 on a CB radio.

If there had been loads of skip over the past week things may have been different, but the radio has been dead with hardly a signal heard. Is this a sign of things to come? Will sales of CB radios die off due to lack of propagation? Maybe!

So I've passed up the chance of having one of the first CHROME Jackson 2's!

Regrets? - Nope! -  I can always change my mind next week when the Americans are blasting in on 27.385 LSB!

PMR446 (UHF CB) New Analogue Channel Allocation

So word comes from an industry insider that the UK is set to adopt the new expanded PMR446 channel allocation.

No official announcement has yet been made so make of this what you wish but it does appear that the new allocation will go ahead.

The exsisting allocation of 8 analogue channels (446.00625 - 446.09375) have been around since the late 90's and there have been many operators calling for extra channels particularly in busy cities and town center areas.

Having an extra 8 analogue channels (446.10625 - 446.19375) PMR446 begins to look like a true UHF CB allocation.

Sure you only get 500mw(!) but it's surprising how far you can get from a favorable location.

The whole band (446.000 - 446.200) will also be opened up to allow the use of up to 32 digital channels.

New radios, which will have more rigorous specifications to reduce the likelihood of interference, are expected to be available shortly after the new allocation is adopted.


text:
Friday, November 14, 2008

If It's November, It Must Be Time for New "Part D" Coverage!

Okay boys and girls, say it with me now... "Let's go, Aetna!" You know if it is almost November 15th, it must be time to choose a new Medicare Part D provider! For the fourth time in three years (counting Year One, when someone switched us to another provider without our knowledge and we had to switch back!) we are moving to another insurance provider for my grandmother's prescription drugs. It seems that Humana, who was our provider in 2008 - and who had amazing customer service - is no longer an affordable fit.

In 2008, Humana gave Mam-ma "lifetime authorization" for coverage of a drug known as Aciphex, which controls acid reflux. Her previous provider, CignaRx had required we try other alternatives - other prescription options and OTC Prilosec. None of these worked, and Mam-ma's doctor faxed all of the appropriate documentation to acquire a waiver for CignaRx to cover Aciphex, which is between $150-170 for 30 tablets. In 2008, this came up with Humana, and all I had to to was to tell them that we had been down this road the previous year... I don't believe the doctor had to fax over anything, but maybe. At any rate, they verbally gave me the "lifetime authorization."

The 2009 formulary for Humana does not list Aciphex. Additionally, there will be a $10.60/month premium assessed on even those on total government assistance (Medicare and Medicaid). If a person can't pay this premium, Medicare picks a new plan for you. The last time Medicare picked a new plan (remember, without our knowledge?) it did not cover at least 3 of the drugs my grandmother takes! So I am not going down THAT road for sure! So...I decided if all we would be out was an additional $127.20 per year, that was worth not having to go through hoops to change providers. But just to be sure, I called Humana. Four Customer Service reps, the Medicare rep and 2 days later, I had three people telling me that there would be a monthly premium, two said there would not, NONE of them knew about the $295 "Pre-Initial Coverage Period" fee, and all of the Humana reps said there was indeed a "lifetime authorization" for Aciphex.

What all but the last Humana rep failed to tell me is that for Humana, "lifetime authorization" means until the end of the calendar year. Then all bets are off and you have to appeal/re-apply. My Medicare rep told me from the start that "Aetna looks like your best bet." In the end, she was right... and I called her to tell her so and to clue her in on how Humana views "lifetime authorization."

So, tomorrow is the first day I can make the move... and I will probably wait until next week. My head is spinning from all of these calls and menus and back and forth. I now know the weather in New York, North Carolina, and Dallas! I've been directed to more times than I can count - and I already have an account there with my grandmother's drug info safely stored for quick retrieval, which surprised most of the reps. This is not my first rodeo!

Sadly, though, this maze of confusion will cause countless elderly people who have no advocate to throw up their hands, pay the extra - or worse yet, let Medicare decide for them what plan they get - and they will have no choice. I explained to the Medicare rep this morning that she and her predecessor (who had the good sense to retire and keep what was left of her sanity) are dealing with a generation who may know how to send an e-mail or read something on a website, but for many of them, choosing a prescription drug insurer online is far beyond their scope of computer expertise. Many have never even seen a computer. Unless they have someone to do this for them, they are out in left field.

I also learned from my Medicare rep that I can expect to change plans every year - as the formularies change. She said Medicare regulates some things, but not all, and the private companies can regulate prices and what is covered, and how much, to a large degree. I told her I doubted the average American knew this. I certainly didn't! I was hoping that I had found a company we could settle in with for the long haul, and Humana would take care of my grandmother for the rest of her days. Not so! As long as we have this Medicare Part D program, we can look forward to spending the weeks before Thanksgiving studying formularies, reviewing and comparing plans on and trying to wade through the maze of confusion to figure out which plan is the best and most affordable for the coming year!

I don't mind doing this for my grandmother. I really don't! But it boggles my mind to think about all of the people "out there" who have nobody to do this sort of thing for them. They have no advocate to file the papers to continue their monthly food stamp allotment, their annual assistance with utility bills, their application for Home Health care and whatever else the Department of Human Services feels needs to be added to their file cabinets. They have no one to go to the pharmacy, the utility company, and the bank and secure copies of their statements to prove to the government agencies that THEY HAVE NO MONEY! Since my grandmother's only income is her monthly Social Security check, and the government seems to know everything else about all of us, you would think they already know how much she has and what she can or cannot afford! It would also stand to reason that if she could not pay for Aciphex on December 31, 2008, she still would be unable to afford it on January 1, 2009. That should not require another round of papers from a family physician - especially for the same insurance provider!

So Happy November! I hope you have received your formularies and are carefully examining all of the fine print. I also hope you only have to speak to three representatives or less to get definitive answers. May your phone menus be short and get you to the right person on the first try!

No comments:


text:
Sep 2, 2008

Birthday Schmerthday

Today, I officially become a 29 year old bag of dirt. How bout that? Today, I live to see a day I never thought I would. As hindsight would have it, my past has made my present (and future) extremely joyful. My past has presented me with an outlook that gives something to compare present and future grief or sorrow to. Today, I have a vertical gratitude that produces an appreciation for all things temporal. My past indicates that in all actuality, I am only four years old. For the birthday that has the most significance has not been far off.

Today, avails to little in light of eternity. Today, friends and relatives might find it nice to call me and say hello, and happy birthday, and In turn I'll be presented with an opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His grace is the only reason I have today, let alone a perspective that allows me to reflect on my yesterday's, and the only provision for a hope in any tomorrow's. Christ is my life, my all, and my reason for living (Php 1:21).

Today this bag of dirt may be considered but young in the eyes of the world, but my eyes are weary and I long to go home and be with the Father. I've seen a fair share of wretched, depraved, and useless existences, and even partook in most of it. Here lies my stead and my plot in life and until this flesh returns to dust I'll serve in the foxhole awaiting the trumpets call. I know now that I once served a purpose, and that was my own self satisfaction and agenda. But today, my purpose is to see my life be a testimony to His grace and His glory (I Ti 1:8-14).

This day is a reminder of grace. The grace of God alone to change the hearts of a man who did not want to be changed, yet distinctly knew his only hope would be to change. I'd never thought my cry to Christ that day would be heard, or that He would see fit to grant a wretch like me repentance. Today I remember my belly-button birth, but today I reflect on that birth occurring under the sovereign, watchful, and loving hand of the creator Lord Jesus Christ.

Today, life is but a vapor. Tomorrow, there is hope in resurrection (Jas 4:14).

Until mine eyes set sight on the celestial city, that great offer of grace shall bide me through.
While I await the vision of my Lord, my comfort will be in what He's set for me to do.
And just when I think it's me who does the work, it's the Lord's word that rings true.
The glory of sinners turned to saints belongs to the one and only Lamb who was slain.

Coram Deo

love God... said...

Well Happy Birthday James!...and many more...Lord willing :-)

James said...

Thank you very much Beth, Truly this one was Lord willing, and every one thereafter shall be too. The only seconds I have are the ones given in grace....amen?

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