Bodies altered

Check out this NYTimes slideshow of "bodies altered in the pursuit of beauty." Haunting, revealing, and worth looking at.

"And yes Mr. Vice President, you're right... "

Listen for yourself.

I will offer a long summary of the run-up to health care reform, but for the time being I am waiting to see whether the Senate will pass the "fixes" through reconciliation. Today, Senator Max Bacus (D-Montanta) suggested that perhaps not all the fixes would pass muster under the "Byrd Rule" which limits what falls under the category of "budgetary" changes [to avoid filibuster, changes to the original senate bill can be only budgetary in nature]. This would mean a potentially painful back-and-forth between the House and Senate. However, lots of things Bacus (and other Senators for that matter) have said to this point haven't turned out to be true. So who knows? Besides, the Senate bill (fury over "kickbacks" to poor people needing health coverage aside) is pretty damn good on its own. So I still think this is all good. But now is the time for the real work to begin.

It is done...(now the Senate can finish)...

In my final hours in our nation's capitol, the major hurdle - the House passing the Senate bill plus reconciliation fixes - to health care reform passing has been cleared. The Democrats (because of the leadership of the president and of the party) finally did what they promised: health care reform is not a goal. It is a reality.

More thoughts to come (and my photos in front of the Capitol Rotunda).

This is a moment.

Now is the time for us all to take charge in making health care better in the United States. Thanks to the Congress, we now have a fighting chance.

Close!

I'm here in DC, preparing anxiously for a celebration (FINGERS CROSSED) that will happen if the U.S. Congress finally grows a pair and passes reform. More to come, but it's very likely I will go over to the Capitol Rotunda later and snap a photo to celebrate the most important passage of Health Care reform since the birth of Medicare decades ago.

Do it!

the equinox

I woke up this morning and realized that my bedroom’s sliding glass door was wide open. I left the door open, put on a tank top and pair of shorts, ate my breakfast, and had an amazing “commute” to school on my bike. The sun was really sunny. The breeze was really breezy.

If yesterday and today and tomorrow are signs of what is to come – when spring is in full swing and the fever is full blown – then Yippee-ki-yay. Spring is going to be nice. Summer will be nice too. But winter wasn’t that bad. Sure we had some rain, some wind, and some cloudy days in LA. But let’s celebrate anyway: the good, the slow, and the non-idyllic times passed. Let’s take a moment and appreciate everything wonderful around us. This Saturday the earth and sun will dance, like they have been for more years than I count, and at 1:32 PM EDT they will pause to change hands. The sun’s leading the earth, but it takes more than one (us included!) to tango.

Exercise is good, mmmmkay

Read this nice and tidy round-up of some of the research suggesting how good exercise is for people, particularly as they age. Somewhat of an obsessive fitness freak, I find this to be validation of my current lifestyle. Note that just about every organ system, as well as physiological and pathophysiological process, is affected for the better by exercise.

New Rule, ctd.

Another new one:

If there will be drastic cuts in education spending, then there should also be cuts in Medicare spending.

Fair is fair.

"Let's Get it Done"

President Obama today, flanked by white coat and scrubs-clad medical professionals, said that the time for debating and floundering is over and it's time to pass a comprehensive health care reform bill -- one that he looks forward to signing into law.

Could this be the beginning of the end of the clusterf*&* of HCR, for now? We shall see.........