Well, we left our place at 10:00 this morning and it was 54 degrees
with a promise of reaching 73. We drove about an hour and a half and
as we rounded Lake Crescent there was snow several inches deep on
everything except the road. The temperature according to the Toyota,
was 46 at 11:30. We had a quick lunch, saw our client and left Forks
about 3 or 3:15. The temperature had risen to 55 degrees as we drove
along Lake Crescent, headed back to Port Angeles. When we passed
through Port Angeles and stopped in Sequim at Walmart it was after
4:00 and the temp was 71. Arriving home about 5:30 it was hot in our
house, 78 degrees, and the outside temp was 76. Go figure.
Over the years I watched the small neighborhood hospitals combine.
Then the larger hospitals on what they call "Pill Hill" began to
combine. There were no longer any hospitals. Medical Facilities.
That's what they call themselves today. Or Medical Centers.
My doctors all work for the Jefferson County Medical Group, but I can
still call their individual offices...for whatever good that does.
"Hi, I have these palpitations and can't seem to breathe..."
"Ah yes. We can fit you in around May 29TH". Some of our clients
seem to live at doctors offices. They must know some sort of booking
agency.
Still, I received very good attention from two Ophthalmologists who
went above and beyond for me. But that was back in 1965. As old(and
I do mean old)Bob Dylan sings, "The times they are a changing!"
And not necessarily for the better.
Carl Jarvis
On 3/19/19, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
73 degrees? Weren't you just writing about snow recently? Is the climate so
different where you're going today?
Anyway, as we talk about changes, I should talk about what has happened to
medical care in the New York City metropolitan area. It's on my mind because
of my wonderful podiatrist who still functions like doctors did in the
1970's. He visits me at home because basically, I'm pretty much homebound. I
called his office to tell him about a painful toe. I was particularly
concerned because I'm diabetic. The wonderful thing is that I called his
office and it's still an office with one person, his elderly receptionist,
answering the phone. I told her what my concern was. She said, "He'll visit
you later today". And he did, on his way home. He lives near me. We were
talking about what has happened to the doctors. No one has a private
practice anymore. There are three or four large corporations here now,
associated with hospitals. Each hospital has turned into a corporation and
swallowed up a number of smaller hospitals and has a network of doctors. The
doctor becomes a salaried employee. The reward for this is that the
corporation takes over billing, insurance costs,, etc. When you call your
doctor now, you reach a call center. You never speak to your doctors office
directly unless you're insistent. Usually, you leave messages and it's like
playing "telephone" with your message being relayed to the doctor and the
doctor's response being relayed back to you. When you visit a doctor,
paperwork is much more complicated than it used to be. It usually takes at
least a month or more to get a doctor's appointment.
There's more, but I won't continue. This is one example of how the world has
changed. It's why I'm grateful for my podiatrist.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2019 10:36 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: about Democracy Now
Right. Everything is moving Right. The Left was fooled into believing we
were moving Left, when the right wing Establishment went quietly about,
building their "safe houses" and putting key players in place.
Judges and appointed government officials were set in place. Laws and
Courts favored the privileged. Public school curriculum was manipulated.
The Main Media became the "Voice of Right Wing Reason".
The Journalists were driven to the Right, or they were left without News
Papers or Publications that would publish their opinions or investigative
reports.
I doubt that the average Working Class member has any idea how far to the
Right we have swung. Of course we never were that "City on the Hill" that
we told ourselves we were. But for a short period of time we truly did care
for the poor and the down trodden.
Anyway, back to Amy Goodman. It's been some time, but I have sent email
notes to Democracy Now, in the past, usually thanking them for something
they reported on. But I would also feel it my duty to tell them exactly
what you've written to me. We on the Left need to apply all the vocal
pressure we can, in order to try balancing the constant pressure from the
Right. I did a great deal of that when Bob Edwards was canned by NPR. They
knuckled under quite quickly. NPR now stands for, "No Public
Responsibility".
But there I go again, bitching over spilled milk.
We're off to Forks today. It's 100 miles each way. Our client was in a
rehab center in Sequim, but they sent her home before we could see her. I
called her last evening to get her home address, and she told me she was
moved to the Forks hospital. That does not bode well.
She's also Diabetic.
But it will be a lovely day for a trip to the Pacific Ocean. The forecast
is for 73 degrees and blue skies. Highway 101 winds alongside crystal clear
Lake Crescent and past the edge of the Olympic Rain Forest. Did you know
this is the only rain forest in the contiguous lower 48 states? Back in my
youth, I wandered along the Ho river and marveled at the moss laden giant
Evergreens. Somewhere I have a big box filled with color photos I took
during my winter trip around the Peninsula back in 1957.
Talk about remote. We drove North from Seattle, and at Edmonds we took a
Ferry across Puget Sound to Kingston, on the Kitsap Peninsula.
We drove across to Low Fall and Ferried across Hood Canal to Southworth in
Jefferson county. From there we drove over 120 miles to the Rain Forest.
It was January and just as clear and sunny as it is today. The air is clean
and sweet and the sun is just warm enough to make us believe we are truly in
a Garden of Eden...except we have giant banana slugs instead of Serpents.
Oh well, even Perfection has its flaws.
Carl Jarvis
On 3/19/19, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Carl,
Of course, it's still the best of the lot in terms of well funded
sources, (and I do keep wondering from where all of their money
comes). And Amy gave a lot of the fine investigative reporters their
start. But I have watched carefully. At first, her coverage of Syria
was inclusive, but then it became atrocious. Yes, she did have two
interviews with a Venezuelan official spokesperson. But she hasn't
once interviewed the several investigative reporters who have been in
Venezuela for many weeks so they could describe what is actdually
happening there. She stopped covering the Julian Assenge business when
it became too much of a hot potato. She hasn't had Max Blumenthal or
Ben Norton, or the guy from the Electronic Intifada, or any of the
people who are acdtually far left and journalists. She has stayed with
safe progressive subjects, nothing risky. She used to do things very
differently. I wouldn't know about half the people I know about, if it
weren't for her program. But, like NPR, she has changed. It is the capture
of everything by the powerful. Everything is moving to the right.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Monday, March 18, 2019 9:08 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: about Democracy Now
Miriam,
Over the long haul, Democracy Now touches base with most of the issues
the Mass Media ignores. I don't always care about some of the topics,
and especially some of the people being interviewed. But overall I
still feel that the program is doing a credible job, day after day.
Just about every person and program I follow have their strong points
and weak points. But when I stop and recall turning on the TV after
work to get the evening news, along with a pile of advertisements, and
60 Minutes was about the most radical news program on the air, and the
New York Times was the Left Leaning newspaper, I thank all the clever
people who created the internet, and all the diverse opinions I can
visit. If we need to worry about programming that is sliding to the
Right, NPR gets my vote.
Carl Jarvis
On 3/18/19, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Remember when I said that Democracy Now has changed, sort of moved to
the right? Interesting that on Unauthorized Disclosure Ranya was
saying that a lot of people who used to donate to Democracy Now, now
donate instead to The Real News Network. I know why. Amy is playing
it safe a lot of the time.
She
spent much of a second program on the shootings in New Zealand this
morning.
She managed not to even mention the demonstrations in Washington
against the continuing attempted coup by the US in Venezuela. But The
Real News Network had a small video showing the demonstration and
pieces of talks by max Blumenthal, Jill Stein, and Daniel Ellsberg.
Amy didn't even have it in her headlines.
Miriam
