Jerry Pournelle needs our prayers

It seems that something bad has happened.

See here:

Sunday morning – this morning although it’s after midnight now so maybe I mean yesterday morning – I discovered that Roberta had suffered a stroke during the night. I called 911. The firemen responded almost instantly.

We spent the day first at the St. Joseph’s Emergency Room (where the firemen took me after my stroke), then at the Kaiser Emergency Room where she was taken by ambulance arranged by Kaiser, then finally in the Kaiser main hospital. Alex was with me for essentially the entire time. My second son, Frank, who lives in Palm Springs, drove up as soon as he could. Our youngest son, Richard, flew in from DC and just got here.

Roberta appears to be about where I was after my stroke. She can’t really talk yet, but she’s aware of what’s going on around her. We’re trying to arrange rehab at Holy Cross where I was retaught how to swallow, walk, and do all the other things people do.

I’m trying to be calm, but I’m scared stiff.

and here:

Roberta said several words last night, and I have hopes. She thanks you all for your prayers and good wishes. More later; we’re going to the hospital now.

My thoughts and Prayers go out to Jerry during this time.

Something everyone should read

As someone who has type 2 diabetes, this is something to read here:

(CNN)Drinking two or more sweetened drinks per day could greatly increase your risk of diabetes, according to new research.In fact, it could double it.Diet soda may do more harm than goodDiet soda may do more harm than goodIn the study, two or more 200-milliliter servings of sweetened drinks, consumed daily, were found to double the risk of developing the condition. Given that standard 12-ounce drinks cans are more than 300-milliliters, this means just 1 and a half of these drinks per day could double your risk.But more importantly, the level of risk was about the same regardless of whether the drinks used sugar or artificial sweeteners. So choosing the diet option may make no difference, as both types were seen to result in two times the risk of having diabetes.”Not all studies have been able to look at sugary and artificially beverages separately,” said Josefin Edwall Löfvenborg, a nutritionist at the Karolinksa Intitute in Sweden, “(but) it’s getting more and more established that soft drinks increase risk of type II diabetes.” – Source: Drinking two sugary drinks per day? You could be doubling your risk of diabetes – CNN.com

It is amazing the people who will not heed this warning. I never did, when I was younger. I always thought to myself, “Diabetes? That’s an old people disease.” Well, here I am 44 years old, a type 2 diabetic and you know what? It is a real danger, to ones life. Here is hoping that young people today, are a bit smarter about all of that, then I was. 🙁

 

 

Video: I have mental health issues and that’s okay.

I cut this video for a reason. Because I want to inspire other people to come out of the shadows and face their personal demons, like I finally did. This isn’t about me or self promotion or anything like that. It is about letting the world know, that it is perfectly okay to admit, that you are not perfect mentally or physically.

Enjoy the video:

P.S. the reason I am talking so low, is because it was early in the morning and I didn’t want to wake up my Mom. She’s upstairs, but still she can hear me. 😀

Videos: Glenn Beck reveals disorder

The Videos:

The Story via The Blaze:

Glenn Beck on Monday revealed the true extent of his health issues, saying he can no longer keep what has happened a secret from his friends, his staff or audience, whom he considers to be his family.

If you have sensed a change in Beck — maybe you even thought he was losing interest in his program — Beck said it is because he was told he may only have several functional years left, and his health conditions were causing such excruciating pain that it was difficult to do live programming.

“Tonight’s show is not for the casual fan or, really, anyone in the press,” Beck said. “This is a one-on-one between friends. No one in the media ever does a show like this, because it is crazy. … But I believe that by not talking with you openly, it destroys everything of real meaning and value — namely, our trust.”

“I have never lied to you, but I have omitted a few really important facts because — they scared me,” Beck admitted, beginning to swallow back tears. “I didn’t have any answers, and the answers I was being given at the time meant … the end of our time together.”

Regardless of what you think of Glenn’s politics; this is a very moving story. Being this bad off and not really knowing what is going on, really stinks.

What pisses me off, and it really does; is the classless idiot crap of the left and the comments being made on the liberal blogs about this story. Want examples? Go here, here, here and here.

That right there, is the left of today. The left does not seem to care about who they leave classless comments about and how that might hurt someone. Because you have to know that, if this was a popular liberal media figure and this sort of thing was happening to them; and Conservatives made fun of it, there would be outcry that would deafening. Having said all of that; seeing the left is not too concerned about a man on the right almost died from this sickness, I am just going to say this and I will deal with the fallout, if any at all. I truly hope that President Barack Hussein Obama DIES with a bad case of ASS CANCER! I really do. Because the way I see it, turnabout is fair play.

Now, go chew out that, you freaking bunch of idiot communists! 😡

Off vaping and nicotine

I wrote a while back that I was off the smokes and now vaping. I then wrote about how I was stepping down the nicotine levels. Well, I now have some good news to report.

I can now officially report that I am now officially off the vaporizer. I stopped like a week ago. Now, was it hard to do it? Oh, you flipping aye right it was! I still miss the thing; I still crave the nicotine. However, it is more of a mental thing, than an actual physical craving. I would love nothing more than to go down to the tobacco shop and pick up a new wick and a nice bottle of mountain dew flavored e-liquid at about 6 or 7 mg of nicotine. But, I made a choice to stop and I am going to try my darndest to keep that promise to myself.

Let’s just be real about it; nicotine is just as bad as marijuana, heroin, cocaine and alcohol — it is addictive, it is very unhealthy and ultimately, it can kill you. Smoking cigarettes or vaping; or any other form of nicotine can turn you into a full on nicotine junky — and basically, being quite honest with you, I am one. I get it from my Father, he smokes, and has smoked since he was 13, so he says. Now, does the knowledge of these facts make me want to see nicotine, vaping and cigarettes outlawed or more tightly regulated? Nope. One cannot legislate or regulate morality. If you outlaw sin, the outlaws will find ways to sin — legal or not.

I personally feel that, as someone who has a nicotine addiction, nicotine addiction should be treated the same as any other addiction. It is the same mentality, it is the same pain, it is the same feeling of, “I cannot stop this”, and it is treated like a flipping joke. I have the personality of an addict; that if one is nice, twelve has to be better. I did that when I was drinking; and I did it when I was smoking and then vaping. There are people who disagree with that, and I am here to tell you, that they are stupid; and those who say that have never, ever been addicted to anything in their lives.

The reason I say that I do not favor the tightening of vaping regulations or any other form of nicotine regulations is because my starting back to smoking that I have done, off and on since age 19; was my own personal choice. I made the personal choice, because of stress to start back to smoking. I also have made a personal choice to stop again. Mainly, because I was asking my parents to pay for my habit. This is when I knew it was time to stop. If I were working and had normal weekly paycheck; heck, I would still be puffing away! However, I am not in that sort of a situation, so, I knew I had to stop.

The reason I made the choice that I made, was because of a job prospect; that ultimately ending up blowing up in my face. The stress from all that, sent me back to the smokes. It was not a fun time; and I quite frankly, I wish I had never even sought after that foolhardy mission.

Either way, I am hoping that I can keep this up. Pray for me, as I need it much.

Stepping down

I’ve finally decided to gradually quit this vaping stuff.

I have been for a while now using Cherry 2.4 percent on the e-liquid.

Today I went and bought some new wicks for both my tanks. I also, instead of getting my usual 2.4 percent e-liquid, I bought some 1.8 menthol. So, I can gradually get off of the Nicotine. I just don’t think that it is right for my parents to have to pay for my habits, as I have not been very successful in getting any sort of donations via this blog at all. 

So, I am coming down gradually. It’s gonna take some serious prayers.

So, pray for me as I try to do this.

You can go here and here to see how I ever got started back to smoking in the first place. Basically, my trying to get hired with that company, and dealing with all the stress, is why I started back.

This is why I am not too big on pet causes

On the right and left….

At this writing, I have been coughing for 72 days. Not on and off coughing, but continuously, every day and every night, for two and a half months. And not just coughing, but whooping: doubled over, body clenched, sucking violently for air, my face reddening and my eyes watering. Sometimes, I cough so hard, I vomit. Other times, I pee myself. Both of these symptoms have become blessedly less frequent, and I have yet to break a rib coughing—also a common side effect. Nor do I still have the fatigue that felled me, often, at my desk and made me sleep for 16 hours a night on the weekends. Now I rarely choke on things like water, though it turns out laughing, which I do a lot of, is an easy trigger for a violent, paralyzing cough that doctors refer to not as a cough, but a paroxysm.

Since I came down with pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, waking up on Saturday, August 31, with what felt like a light fever and a tightness in my chest, I’ve celebrated the Jewish high holidays, covered Washington’s response to the crisis in Syria, hosted several out of town friends and a dinner party or two, attended the funeral of a close relative and the wedding celebration of a close friend, given a lighter strain of the whoop to my mother, and, somewhere in there, managed to turn 31, whooping all the while. I even spent a long weekend on a beach in north Florida, where a friend commented on my now killer abs—odd since, because of my illness, I had not been to the gym at that point for 35 days. “The coughing,” she said cheerfully, “must’ve helped!” 

via Jenny McCarthy, Anti-Vaccination Movement to Blame for Whooping Cough | New Republic.

This is what Ron Paul was referring to, when he mentioned “blowback.” This is a form of it.

Others: Daily KosLiberaland and Balloon Juice

Sarah Palin has been vindicated

Remember the whole controversy about Sarah Palin and her quip about “death panels” that had the left all pouncing on her and calling her stupid?

She has just been vindicated. Here’s a telling commentary from the WSJ:

You would think it would be simple to find a health-exchange plan that allows me, living in San Diego, to continue to see my primary oncologist at Stanford University and my primary care doctors at the University of California, San Diego. Not so. UCSD has agreed to accept only one Covered California plan—a very restrictive Anthem EPO Plan. EPO stands for exclusive provider organization, which means the plan has a small network of doctors and facilities and no out-of-network coverage (as in a preferred-provider organization plan) except for emergencies. Stanford accepts an Anthem PPO plan but it is not available for purchase in San Diego (only Anthem HMO and EPO plans are available in San Diego).

So if I go with a health-exchange plan, I must choose between Stanford and UCSD. Stanford has kept me alive—but UCSD has provided emergency and local treatment support during wretched periods of this disease, and it is where my primary-care doctors are.

Before the Affordable Care Act, health-insurance policies could not be sold across state lines; now policies sold on the Affordable Care Act exchanges may not be offered across county lines.

What happened to the president’s promise, “You can keep your health plan”? Or to the promise that “You can keep your doctor”? Thanks to the law, I have been forced to give up a world-class health plan. The exchange would force me to give up a world-class physician.

For a cancer patient, medical coverage is a matter of life and death. Take away people’s ability to control their medical-coverage choices and they may die. I guess that’s a highly effective way to control medical costs. Perhaps that’s the point.

via A Stage-4 Gallblader Cancer Survivor Says: I Am One of ObamaCare’s Losers – WSJ.com.

You cannot say the people were not warned. I spent a good deal of time on my last blog and on this one here; arguing the fact that Obamacare was going to be a utter disaster and you know what? I and every other Conservative blogger were right about it and now; you can see it here, up close and in color.

I hope the Democrats enjoy the crap sandwich that they have made. Because it is going to be a long time before they ever recover for this little overreach.

Others: Michelle MalkinHot AirColorado Peak PoliticsThe Jawa ReportThe Daily Caller,TheBlaze.comPower LineForbesScared MonkeysThe Right Scoopamericanthinker.comBetsy’s PageMediaiteThe PJ TatlerWeasel ZippersThe Gateway PunditConservatives4Palin and Twitchy (via Memeorandum)

Status update from Jim Hoft over at Gateway Pundit

Like I wrote on here before, I have not always agreed with Jim Hoft over at Gateway Pundit; But, this ordeal here is harrowing to read.

Quote:

My trip to Los Angeles the weekend of August 16th was wonderful. I saw several friends. I spoke at a rally for media fairness. I played the part of an Obama rodeo clown chasing a cow across the stage. It was great fun.

It wasn’t until late Saturday night that I started feeling ill. And I brought what I thought was a cold virus back home with me to St. Louis.

The next week I felt horrible and took cold medicine to try to shake this late summer “virus.” It wasn’t until Thursday when I woke up with no sight in my left eye that I knew something was terribly wrong.

That is when I checked into the hospital and my life changed forever.

via Facing the Horror: How Disease Nearly Took My Life But Grace Saved Me | The Gateway Pundit.

I also believe that good Doctors and having the insurance or money to afford those doctors might have helped too. But, I digress. 😀

Either way, go read the rest of that. Looks like ol’ Hoft got really close to death’s door. Maybe it will lighten him up a bit. But, somehow I doubt that one. 😉

 

 

Another Republican talking point about Obama’s healthcare law proven wrong

This is good news for people like me, who will soon be working for a living again, and will most likely need help from this new healthcare law.

The Story:

One of these days, a dire prediction about Obamacare will come true. Today isn’t it.

The Administration on Thursday released new information about the “Federally Facilitated Marketplaces.” Under Obamacare, every state must have an exchange—a place where people without employer-sponsored insurance can find insurance. Some states are running their own exchanges. Others are asking the federal government to do most, or all of, the work. Those federal-run exchanges are the FFMs.

To be successful, exchanges must have enough plans to generate some competition. The whole idea of the exchanges is to let people shop around, seeking the best combination of benefits, service, and prices—just as they might shop for a car, an accountant, or any other good or service. Yes, that’s probably more of a conservative idea than a liberal one. But, for competition to take place, insurers must participate. And conservatives have predicted the insurers would stay away, because of Obamacare’s supposedly onerous regulations and a fear that the whole system is doomed to collapse.

Even liberals like me have worried how the insurers might act—and, sure enough, some carriers really do seem wary. But plenty aren’t. On Thursday, the administration announced it expects the FFMs to have more than sufficient competition. At least one new insurer will be offering plans in about three-fourths of the FFMs, according to the administration, and 90 percent of “target enrollees” (people the administration is hoping will use the exchanges) will be able to choose from at least five different insurers. Given the poor state of competition that exists in many states today, the administration says, that’s a big improvement.

The data is preliminary and sketchy—and the improvement may not be as dramatic as the administration made it sound. “I would characterize it as modest plan competition,” Caroline Pearson, vice president for health reform at Avalere Helath, told Sarah Kliff of the Washington Post. “In most markets, there seems to be a bit more choice than what’s available in the market today. But we’re certainly not seeing a wild influx of plans into the market.” 

via Obamacare Insurance Options: Looks like exchanges will have plenty | New Republic.

Believe me when I tell you, I am not a huge fan of President Obama and I was not too keen on the idea of “Obamacare.” However, I will tell you this, if anyone knows all about the cost of rising healthcare in this Country — It would be me. I had to cancel my health insurance that I was getting through the COBRA program. It just kept going up and finally, I simply decided to stop putting out that kind of money; and this was back when I was working full-time as a straight truck driver.

Needless to say, I am glad to hear that the Republicans might just be wrong on this little issue here. 😀

Oh, and by the way, I have some pretty darned good reasons for feeling this way too. 😡

Others: News DeskThe Plum Line and Wonkblog