morning coffee 
spring rain stirs 
the old pond 

old pond 
May raindrops wrinkle 
my face 

ditched umbrella

raindrops blending
with her tears 

Haiku 112509

heavy downpour
the downtown skyline
melting

Haiku 102609

autumn rain
water heading back
to the lake

***************************

Recently, we read the following headline: "In recession, one road led back home"

Haiku 082109

heavy rain
red lights take over
Highway 10

****************

Recently, we read the following piece in an email:

MoveOn.org: “Top Five Health Care Reform Lies—and How to Fight Back”

Lie #1: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandma!!!

The truth: These accusations—of "death panels" and forced euthanasia—are, of course, flatly untrue. As an article from the Associated Press puts it: "No 'death panel' in health care bill." (4) What's the real deal? Reform legislation includes a provision, supported by the AARP, to offer senior citizens access to a professional medical counselor who will provide them with information on preparing a living will and other issues facing older Americans. (5)

Lie #2: Democrats are going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan!!!

The truth: With reform, choices will increase, not decrease. Obama's reform plans will create a health insurance exchange, a one-stop shopping marketplace for affordable, high-quality insurance options. (6) Included in the exchange is the public health insurance option—a nationwide plan with a broad network of providers—that will operate alongside private insurance companies, injecting competition into the market to drive quality up and costs down. (7)

If you're happy with your coverage and doctors, you can keep them. (8) But the new public plan will expand choices to millions of businesses or individuals who choose to opt into it, including many who simply can't afford health care now.

Lie #3: President Obama wants to implement Soviet-style rationing!!!

The truth: Health care reform will expand access to high-quality health insurance, and give individuals, families, and businesses more choices for coverage. Right now, big corporations decide whether to give you coverage, what doctors you get to see, and whether a particular procedure or medicine is covered—that is rationed care. And a big part of reform is to stop that.

Health care reform will do away with some of the most nefarious aspects of this rationing: discrimination for pre-existing conditions, insurers that cancel coverage when you get sick, gender discrimination, and lifetime and yearly limits on coverage. (9) And outside of that, as noted above, reform will increase insurance options, not force anyone into a rationed situation.

Lie #4: Obama is secretly plotting to cut senior citizens' Medicare benefits!!!

The truth: Health care reform plans will not reduce Medicare benefits. (10) Reform includes savings from Medicare that are unrelated to patient care—in fact, the savings comes from cutting billions of dollars in overpayments to insurance companies and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. (11)

Lie #5: Obama's health care plan will bankrupt America!!!

The truth: We need health care reform now in order to prevent bankruptcy—to control spiraling costs that affect individuals, families, small businesses, and the American economy.

Right now, we spend more than $2 trillion dollars a year on health care. (12) The average family premium is projected to rise to over $22,000 in the next decade (13) —and each year, nearly a million people face bankruptcy because of medical expenses. (14) Reform, with an affordable, high-quality public option that can spur competition, is necessary to bring down skyrocketing costs. Also, President Obama's reform plans would be fully paid for over 10 years and not add a penny to the deficit. (15)

Sources:
1. "More 'Town Halls Gone Wild': Angry Far Right Protesters Disrupt Events With 'Incomprehensible' Yelling," Think Progress, August 4, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51733&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=2
2. "Fight the smears," Health Care for America NOW, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51729&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=3
3. "Palin Paints Picture of 'Obama Death Panel' Giving Thumbs Down to Trig," ABC News, August 7, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51728&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=4
4. "No 'death panel' in health care bill," The Associated Press, August 10, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51747&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=5
5. "Stop Distorting the Truth about End of Life Care," The Huffington Post, July 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51730&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=6
6. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 11, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#i1
7. "Why We Need a Public Health-Care Plan," The Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51737&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=7
8. "Obama: 'If You Like Your Doctor, You Can Keep Your Doctor,'" The Wall Street Journal, 15, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51736&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=8
9. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#r1
10. "Obama: No reduced Medicare benefits in health care reform," CNN, July 28, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51748&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=9
11. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#s1
12. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1
13. "Premiums Run Amok," Center for American Progress, July 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51667&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=10
14. "Medical bills prompt more than 60 percent of U.S. bankruptcies," CNN, June 5, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51735&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=11
15. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1

Sources for the Five Lies:
#1: "A euthanasia mandate," The Washington Times, July 29, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51732&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=12
#2: "It's Not An Option," Investor's Business Daily, July 15, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51743&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=13
#3: "Rationing Health Care," The Washington Times, April 21, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51742&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=14
#4: "60 Plus Ad Is Chock Full Of Misinformation," Media Matters for America, August 8, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51734&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=15
#5: "Obama's 'Public' Health Plan Will Bankrupt the Nation," The National Review, May 13, 2009.

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51744&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=16

*****************

And we thought:

...This is great public service by MoveOn.org. This outline of what’s true and what’s not helps one wade though the flood of objections being raised by opponents of the health care reform bill.

All those alleged red flags -- raised by propagandists of the giant private health insurers -- could be scary. Obviously, these so-called "horror stories" are largely the cause of the reported heated exchanges going on in town hall meetings in some parts of the country. If people only checked the facts...

Haiku 042309

morning rain --
rabbit digging up
tulip bed


***************

Recently, we read the following:

Washington Post: “Defense Chief Gates Says He Backed Releasing CIA Memos” (by Ann Scott Tyson)

“Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates indicated Thursday that he supported the release of sensitive memos on detainee interrogation methods last week because he viewed their ultimate disclosure as inevitable. Gates, a former CIA director, said his foremost concern was that CIA officers who had used the interrogation techniques should be protected from prosecution.

“Another concern, Gates said, was the possibility that the Obama administration's release of the memos would cause a "backlash in the Middle East" that could adversely affect U.S. forces operating there. In discussions, he said, senior administration officials realized the disclosure could be "used by al-Qaeda" to generate opposition against the United States....

" ‘All of us wrestled with it,’ he said when asked whether he personally supported the release of the memos. But he added that his own view was shaped by his belief that the methods would ultimately become known....”

***************

And we thought:

….This article reports that Mr. Gates’ support of the memos’ release “was shaped by his belief that the methods would ultimately become known.” If that was the extent of the Defense head’s concern, maybe the President needs to have a serious one-on-one with him.

We thought the administration disclosed the “torture” memos not simply because their disclosure was inevitable. We thought they were disclosed because the administration found the subject and the results of the memos – the justification of torture, the order to use torture, and the actual use of torture – to be essentially immoral and reprehensible, and that the administration wanted to clearly dissociate itself from the Bush-Cheney regime on this matter. We thought that, ultimately, the primary concern was that the Obama administration wanted the country to regain its “moral bearings”….

Haiku 042109

raindrops
ripples on water
unending

***************

Recently, we read the following:

New York Times: “What Are Friends for? A Longer Life” (by Tara Parker-Pope)

“In the quest for better health, many people turn to doctors, self-help books or herbal supplements. But they overlook a powerful weapon that could help them fight illness and depression, speed recovery, slow aging, and prolong life: their friends.

“Researchers are only now starting to pay attention to the importance of friendship and social networks in overall health. A 10-year Australian study found that older people with a large circle of friends were 22 percent less likely to die during the study period than those with fewer friends. A large 2007 study showed an increase of nearly 60 percent in the risk for obesity among people whose friends gained weight. And last year, Harvard researchers reported that strong social ties could promote brain health as we age.

“ ‘In general, the role of friendship in our lives isn’t terribly well appreciated,’ said Rebecca G. Adams, a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro…. Friendship has a bigger impact on our psychological well-being than family relationships.’

“In a new book, “The Girls From Ames: A Story of Women and a 40-Year Friendship” (Gotham), Jeffrey Zaslow tells the story of 11 childhood friends who scattered from Iowa to eight different states.... Using scrapbooks, photo albums and the women’s own memories, Mr. Zaslow chronicles how their close friendships have shaped their lives and continue to sustain them. The role of friendship in their health and well-being is evident in almost every chapter….

“ ‘People with stronger friendship networks feel like there is someone they can turn to,’ said Karen A. Roberto, director of the center for gerontology at Virginia Tech. ‘Friendship is an undervalued resource. The consistent message of these studies is that friends make your life better.’ ”

***************

And we thought:

…. “Man is a social being” – this is one of the things that we learn early enough in life. As social beings, we're sustained in many different ways by a sense of belongingness, by that feeling of being part of a group that we believe appreciates, supports, and protects us – a group we can feel comfortable in. However, this article’s focus on friends and friendships versus family members and family relationships can be misleading. It appears to imply that the family as a group – the nuclear family and the extended family of relatives -- cannot also spawn the friendships and social networks that a circle of friends provides.

One wonders -- can't family members be friends or be like friends? We think they can. The friendships will come as family members increasingly outgrow most, if not all, of the unequal or dependent relationships that naturally form in families -- kids being dependent on parents, uncles and aunts, and grandparents; younger family members dependent on older members; the weaker dependent on the stronger, etc. When family members outgrow these dependencies and become more interdependent, friendships among family members can also be cultivated in the way they are shaped among individuals who become friends. And such friendships can be as profound as any.

Finally, we think that what's really pivotal in providing the sense of well-being the article describes is not “friendship” per se. It is instead that element of “interconnectedness” that profound friendships eventually engender —whether it is friendships among friends or among family members. It’s that feeling of being one with others outside oneself….

Haiku 041009

freezing rain
on pine needles
icicles

***************

Recently, we read the following:

International Press Institute: "Malaysia Arrests Bloggers, Bans Newspapers in Fresh Assaults on Expression"

“The International Press Institute (IPI) today expressed concern about recent arrests of bloggers, restrictions on news organisations and other breaches of free expression in Malaysia. In the past month, the authorities arrested six bloggers, denied several news organisations access to the dominant political party’s general assembly, and banned two opposition newspapers, according to IPI sources in Malaysia. These actions came as the ruling National Front, which is dominated by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), faced rising public concern over the economy and as Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi prepared to hand over power to his deputy, Najib Razak….

"Malaysia, a nation of 25 million, keeps a tight rein on the media through the use of national security laws and media licensing regulations. The government has also been intolerant of opposition bloggers and has ordered Internet service providers to block critical blogs. Reporters covering political rallies or other events often face harassment from security forces….”


Publisher’s Note: Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

***************

And we thought:

….Free expression, including the deliberate needling of subjects, may be a pesky beast. (Recall Sarah Palin's press coverage.) But it is a basic human right. Those in public governance need to just develop thick skin and be ready to be teased or criticized.

Or, to preclude being put in harsh light, they could just be decent and do their jobs as public servants. A responsible free press and public exchanges of public information, after all, keep government honest. Well, perhaps, not all the time, which is why we have to keep working at it.

And, perhaps, the Malaysian government holds itself to a different standard -- which would be another story….

Haiku 032309

loud drumming
on the shingled roof --
first rainstorm

***************

Recently, we read the following:

International Herald Tribune: "Administration seeks increase in oversight of executive pay at all banks, Wall Street firms"

"The Obama administration will call for increased oversight of executive pay at all banks, Wall Street firms and possibly other [financial] companies as part of a sweeping plan to overhaul financial regulation, government officials said. The outlines of the plan are expected to be unveiled this week in preparation for President Obama’s first foreign summit meeting in early April….

"Officials said the proposal would seek a broad new role for the Federal Reserve to oversee large companies, including major hedge funds, whose problems could pose risks to the entire financial system…. The administration has been considering increased oversight of executive pay for some time, but the issue was heightened in recent days as public fury over bonuses spilled into the regulatory effort….

"One proposal could impose greater requirements on company boards to tie executive compensation more closely to corporate performance and to take other steps to ensure that compensation was aligned with the financial interest of the company…. The new rules will cover all financial institutions, including those not now covered by any pay rules because they are not receiving federal bailout money. Officials say the rules could also be applied more broadly to publicly traded companies, which already report about some executive pay practices to the Securities and Exchange Commission…"

***************

And we thought:

.... Spring cleaning at U.S. financial institutions? The danger for Obama's administration is that it doesn't go far enough in fixing the broken regulatory system and ensuring that the interests of all stakeholders are equally served. It should take advantage of the momentum that public opinion has generated over the last several months. The proposed changes need to be as wide-ranging as possible in terms of the institutions and practices they will cover. And as free of legal and tax loopholes as possible -- no more "ways-out" ....

Haiku 031009

driving rain
on sooty ice --
more brown grass

***************

Recently, we read the following:

Minneapolis Star Tribune: "After a week of testimony and evidence, Franken's lawyers satisfied they made their case"

"The long-running Senate election trial is about to reach another milestone. DFLer Al Franken expects to call his final witnesses today, and his lawyers are proclaiming they are confident that they will have proved their case.

" 'We feel good about how our case went, feel good about how we came in leading, and we think we have put into evidence a strong case,' lead lawyer Marc Elias said Tuesday. 'We're not there yet ... but we're ending what has been a very long post-election process.' ...."

***************

And we thought:

.... to which Norm Coleman thumbs his nose, in the guise of picking .... Just kidding ....

Seriously, though, Coleman should be taking his own advice -- the one he gave to Franken the night when he thought he won the election against the DFL senatorial candidate. "Concede and move on," Coleman chided Franken back in November.

But if Coleman is going to be true to his nature, one expects this former-DFLer-turned-Republican to have already laid out plans for this post-election contest to go as far as the U.S. Supreme Court. Minnesota isn't going to have its second Senator for another few months. One gets a strong sense that it's his way of getting back at Minnesotans. The way people see it -- this is how much he disrespects Minnesota. This is how selfish he is. Mr. Coleman should prove his critics wrong....