INTERESTING: Quebec and Vermont, pehaps the first of many?

Sunday, August 8, 2010

http://dumpdc.wordpress.com/2010/08/01/what-the-kosovo-ruling-means-for-canada-trouble/

What The Kosovo Ruling Means For Canada: Trouble!
by Milan Markovic

*** begin quote ***

The muted reaction was appropriate. International lawyers agree that last week’s decision is mostly notable for what it doesn’t do. The World Court purposely sidestepped difficult questions such as whether the declaration brought about Kosovo’s secession from Serbia and whether nations such as Canada and the United States were legally justified in recognizing an independent Kosovo. The court ruled only that declarations of independence made by separatist groups are not contrary to international law.

*** and ***

What the court did find was that secessionist groups are not obligated to respect the territorial integrity of the country from which they are trying to secede. Nor are they prohibited from unilaterally declaring independence against the will of that country. What, then, is to stop Quebec’s National Assembly from declaring the province’s independence without holding a fair referendum as Quebec is supposed to do under the Clarity Act?

*** and ***

The Kosovo precedent also undermines the notion that Quebec must seriously negotiate its separation from Canada. Under the administrative scheme established by the United Nations Security Council, representatives from Serbia and Kosovo were required to negotiate Kosovo’s final status. The negotiations were fruitless, leading Kosovo to declare its independence. But Kosovo’s representatives indicated from the beginning of negotiations that they would not settle for anything short of full independence and would not tolerate any partition of Kosovo’s territory. Quebec’s leaders may be tempted to take a similar line and declare Quebec’s independence if Canada refuses to acquiesce to these unfavourable terms.

*** end quote ***

Observations and comments:

  1. The Gooferments of the various countries will probably back each other up with respect to “secession”. Can’t let your “sheeple” escape. Can’t let them defy the “law”. Can’t let anyone to be free. On the theory that it’s a “closed club”, those in power will seek to keep the club’s doors closed and locked. After all it’s not like Quebec, wants to join the USA. Or that Texas, Vermont, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Alaska, or others want to join Canada. It’s an “escape” to freedom. From the movie Candhi, “I beg you to accept that there is no people on Earth who would not prefer their own bad government to the good government of an alien power.” They don’t want to lose their power. Even a fraction of it.
  2. You only have the “rights” that you are willing to demand and fight for. So to, you can only have the “state” that you’re willing to fight for. In the case of the big gang that Gooferment represents, you’ll need help. Your neighbors have to be of like mind.
  3. Gandhi is the model for non-violent revolution. Unfortunately, the people he freed are not as wise as he. Few would be. They don’t have true freedom yet. There’s a lot of corruption and poverty there. But it’s their problem.

Ready for the Third American Revolution yet?

It’s coming. Just like the USSR, all empires fail. Some sooner, some later. But they all do.

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INTERESTING: Sherrod Story; somethin’ is off

Saturday, August 7, 2010

http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/07/real_sherrod_story_still_untol.html

July 30, 2010
Real Sherrod Story Still Untold
By Jack Cashill

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“As an old pro,” Brown acknowledged, “I know that you don’t fire someone without at least hearing their side of the story unless you want them gone in the first place.” Brown observed that Sherrod had been a thorn in the USDA’s side for years, that many had objected to her hiring, and that she had been “operating a community activist organization not unlike ACORN.” Although Brown does not go into detail, he alludes to a class action lawsuit against the USDA in which she participated some years ago.

*** end quote ***

I agree. I smell a rat. And, maybe my tin foil hat is wrapped too tight, but nothing is ever as it seems.

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INTERESTING: Don’t tell me you’re Six Sigma

Friday, August 6, 2010

INTERESTING: A six sigma discussion

ROFL! Yesterday, before Frau was given her release, yet another hospital manager came by to talk about the patient’s perception of her care. Since Frau was sleeping, the lady “nursing director” talked to me. She was taking names of did a good or bad job. Since both patients in the room were “unavailable” (i.e., sleeping), guess I was selected to be a proxy.

Boy, did she get an earful before Frau woke up. And put the kibosh on me.

I’m not good with names, but this floor was better in general than the CCU or the last floor she was on two weeks ago.

But then, she made a mistake! She mentioned that they were Six Sigma. Who, wee, here we go!

I dusted off my “consulting hat” and asked “Why six sigma?” SHe didn’t answer but asked what my Six Sigma background was. See asking “why” there times is how Six Sigma-ites get to the real reason why you’re doing something. I told her that I had some minor experience in it and challenged her about answering the question.

“Better patient care” “Why?” “Better outcomes” “Why” “To become patient centered”

Ahhh, Hah!

So we got into a discussion about how the patient was not a Customer, a Stakeholder, or even a Client in their processes. Then, I moved in for the kill describing how this morning the tech woke the patient to take blood pressure but was called away in the middle for a “safety huddle” at 8AM plus or minus a few minutes. Her response was that the “BPs were late and the huddle was on time”. And, I concluded: “So explain to me HOW that is patient focused care?” She was speechless.

We got into a discussion of how the technology, process, or people could be deployed that would have transformed that into a patient centric focus.

Like maybe, never wake a patient to do a routine test in the first place, leave an appliance there and the first person to see the patient awake take the bp. Use new bp tech that takes the patient’s bp even if they are sleeping. Or even just questioning how to organize so the patient is not disturbed.

Another example was the call bell that neither differentiates between urgency or type of need.

Another example was how there’s no call center to take the call and directly alert the right person.

Another example was there’s no feedback loop to collection and action what the patient sees.

Another example was that the staff had no technology to make their jobs more effective or efficient — there were sheets at each patient that the staff was to initial each hour that they visited the patient. An rfid badge and readers at each bedside, would collect that data without paperwork and wasting the staffer’s time. Besides at the end of each shift, they just “caught up” the log. So does leadership REALLY want to know the answer?

She gave up saying “they didn’t have …” because it was painful obvious even to her that they do NOT want “patient focused” because they have all their processes. So be honest and call it “processed focused care”.

We were discussing more examples when the BLOODDOC came and rescued the Director from the trap she had fallen into. I let him know that he was 6 minutes late. (Hey, he set the expectation. Not me. No one forced him to say what time he’d be there.)

ROFL!!!

Be careful what you ask for, you may get it.

My observation is, imho, they don’t want to change. They want the praise that comes with being Six Sigma, but they don’t want to do the heavy lifting. My experience with TQM, Six Sigma, and other quality initiatives is that the problem is ALWAYS leadership. They may “talk the talk” but they don’t “walk the walk”. You can put up all the funny inspirational signs on the wall you want, but people are smart. They see your mixed messages and adapt.

I always say I can play any game, just tell me the rules.

In this case, it is NOT “patient centric care”.

Boy, was that fun!

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INTERESTING: Food supply is on a slender thread

Thursday, August 5, 2010

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100726/D9H6KLSO0.html

Margaret McGrath, an associate professor of plant pathology at Cornell University, said the fungus is likely more of a problem for home gardeners and herb farmers who may not have access to fungicides that are available to larger commercial growers.

*** end quote ***

An interesting example of the slender thread that the “food supply” hangs on. Today basil; tomorrow who knows what?

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INTERESTING: The miracle of a biological

Monday, August 2, 2010

FROM A FRIEND’S FACEBOOK PAGE

*** begin quote ***

Rule number one at the beach: don’t feed he seagulls but sometimes rules are made to be broke for example : when the sea gull swoops down when u are not looking and grabs your hoagie out of your hand. If this happens do not throw said hoagie onto the sand bc a lot oc seagulls will converge around u lol gotta love the beach :)

*** end quote ***

As a fat old white guy injineer, I was always fascinated feeding seagulls off the Ocean Pier in AC. To create a “biological”, that can detect, track and catch a thrown piece of food high in the air, often on the rise, in competition with other biologicals, at almost random time – direction – speed – rotation, is amazing. There must be a “God”, or at least a “First Ingineer”. Thanks for the prompt to recall that.

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INTERESTING: PhD in Plumbing?

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7024

*** begin quote ***

A New Hampshire Catholic college is establishing medieval-style guilds in woodworking, baking, sacred art, and music to complement its academic curriculum.

*** end quote ***

It would appear that they might have lost their way in these confused daze?

What’s next? A PhD in Plumbing.

(Might be a good idea. I’ve never met a poor plumber.)

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INTERESTING: Genetic testing already shows promise; except the Gooferment wants to control it

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/should-you-be-allowed-to-know-whats-in-your-dna/?singlepage=true

Should You Be Allowed to Know What’s in Your DNA?
“You can’t handle the truth!” That’s the federal government’s latest message to Americans seeking to learn the content of their own DNA.
July 15, 2010 – by Paul Hsieh

*** begin quote ***

Opponents of direct-to-consumer genetic testing typically raise three standard objections, including: (1) the test results may be inaccurate; (2) even if the results are accurate, customers will not know what to do with the information; and (3) customers may learn about genetic defects that could make health insurance prohibitively expensive or impossible to purchase. However, a truly free market in health services and health insurance would address all of these concerns.

Customers concerned about the reliability and accuracy of their test results are best served by a free market that subjects products to the pitiless scrutiny of consumers seeking the best value for their money. Of course, if an unscrupulous company makes fraudulent claims about its services, it should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Protecting consumers against fraud is one of the proper functions of government. But if personal genomics companies otherwise truthfully describe the capabilities and limitations of their tests, then the early adopters should be left free to exercise their best judgment as to whether they wish to purchase those services.

*** end quote ***

If it’s my body, who is the Gooferment to interfere?

Prevent force or fraud, fine. Keep me from making a mistake, not so good. Tell me I can’t have the use of my own body, tyranny.

Time to pound the FDA back into historical irrelevancy. Who would you trust with your health? (1) Politicians and bureaucrats; or (2) a free market with Walmart, Walgreens, and innumerable competitors “supervised” by Consumer’s Reports, Underwriters Laboratory, the media, the general public, and the Trial Lawyers?

Give me the market any time. Keep your Gooferment “help” to yourself.

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INTERESTING: Remember the “old days” … …

Monday, July 26, 2010

… … when you could drop a tree on an American car and it not kill the occupant?

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INTERESTING: Folksonomy, wisdom of crowds?

Sunday, July 25, 2010

http://vanderwal.net/folksonomy.html

Folksonomy
February 2, 2007

*** begin quote ***

Folksonomy is the result of personal free tagging of information and objects (anything with a URL) for one’s own retrieval. The tagging is done in a social environment (usually shared and open to others). Folksonomy is created from the act of tagging by the person consuming the information.

*** end quote ***

Interesting, I’d never heard of this word before.

The wisdom of crowds?

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INTERESTING: American “inginuity” … need more of it and less politicians and bureaucrats

Sunday, July 18, 2010

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100716/bs_yblog_upshot/did-a-mystery-plumber-design-the-new-bp-containment-cap

Fri Jul 16, 2:22 pm ET
Berkeley prof: ‘Mystery plumber’ may have designed the new BP containment cap
By Brett Michael Dykes

*** begin quote ***

When BP’s newest spill-containment strategy in the Gulf yielded such encouraging initial results, many asked why the oil giant didn’t hit on this solution earlier in the crisis. The short answer is that the model of the well cap now in place didn’t exist in the earlier stages of the spill saga. But what’s more noteworthy than the timing issue is the likelihood that the device owes its origin to the same authority that any homeowner turns to in order to get a leak plugged: a professional plumber.

*** end quote ***

For some reason, this story resonated with me. In a free market economy, this disaster would never have happened. And, this plumber would have stopped the leak much sooner. I can just see all the panels of egg heads that prevented him from getting his idea heard.

Argh!

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I’m a fat old white guy injineer. So I spell “ingenuity”, like I spell “ingineer”! At least someone reads my blog.

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