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You Got to be Yourself, Jack (Looking at the Likes of 5 Hour Energy by Keeping it Real)

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I had a childhood buddy whose answer to all that we faced as growing boys, like how to hit on the girls and how to get Murray’s Pomade to turn our naps into waves or curls, was “You got to be yourself, Jack” which is old school for “Keeping it real.”

And I thought of my philosophical friend the other day as I watched a man on TV who said that he: played a round of golf; read a book while teaching himself to play guitar; ran 10 miles while knitting himself a sweater; jumped out of a plane; became a ping pong master while recording his, debut album, which he sings in an auto-tuned voice and then he says, “How you ask? 5 Hour Energy!”

The bit’s funny but, whoa, what is this fantasy really all about? The dude did everything but drop dead, which would have been real, and from a couple of articles I’ve read the product is alleged to have caused death. But the stuff sold to the tune of 1.3 billion dollars last year. Seems there are a ton of people not “being themselves.”   [Read more…]

Covered California Introduces Standard Plans

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by Anthony Wright/ California Progress Report

On Wednesday, February 13, Covered California unveiled a new website, its new social media presence and, in particular, the new benefit designs that this marketplace will offer in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act to help California consumers get coverage more easily and affordably.

California has led the way in realizing the promise of “Obamacare” – being first to set up such an exchange where consumers will be able to conveniently shop for quality, affordable health insurance that meets federal guidelines and where many people will be able to receive subsidies (100% federally subsidized) to help pay for coverage.

The standardization of health plans is a breakthrough for consumers, who will now be able to make apples-to-apples comparisons that are virtually impossible in today’s market. Consumers trying to buy health coverage today face a complex and confusing experience, including fear of the fine print. The standardization of benefit designs will make it easier for consumers to compare health plans. It will force insurers to compete on cost and quality and customer service, rather than consumer confusion.   [Read more…]

A Helping Hand to a Needy Group

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When my husband was alive, he belonged to a wonderful organization entitled “Veteran’s for Peace.” As the title suggests, the group was made up of veteran’s from many “conflicts” and they all had one purpose – “Peace.”

Although not a member myself, I am still on the VFP mailing list and received this message today that I would like to share with you. The world for veterans today is so bleak; the feelings about the homeless population is shameful in so many areas that this report may shed a light on what is happening in our world today.   [Read more…]

Book Review: “Revolutionary Brain – Essays & Quasi-Essays”

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Written by Harold Jaffe, Published December 2012

I met Dr. Jaffe several months ago and was intrigued by his writings and background.  He is the author of 20+  volumes of fiction, “docufiction” novels and essays.  His writings have been translated into numerous languages, and has been the recipient of several awards.  He is the editor of Fiction International” and is currently a Professor of  Literature and Creative Writing at San Diego State University.

Dr. Jaffe, in this book, explores the changes of millennial culture.  He deplores what is happening to earth in a variety of ways.  It is an intellectual and philosophical look at the changes technology is making – has made – today and how we are unable to “reconstruct ourselves”.   [Read more…]

Arctic Methane: A Global Environmental Disaster in the Making

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By Frank Thomas

In the 1970s, permafrost Arctic sea ice at its lowest point covered about half of the Arctic ocean surface. But it has been on an alarming declining trend over recent decades, now covering at its lowest point 25% of the Arctic ocean surface – or half of its previous area and thickness.

This rapid warming of the Arctic region creates a near term world threat of a major sub-sea methane release that could intensify global warming to irreversible levels along with high fossil fuel C02 emissions.   [Read more…]

PUC Delays Vote on SDG&E’s Proposed Fossil-Fuel Power Plants – Again – and the Sierra Club Is Pissed Off!

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During a period of time when the nuclear power station at San Onofre has been disabled for a year now, there are renewed calls, according to the U-T, to allow SDG&E to proceed with their plans to build two fossil-fuel power plants. Yet, when the California Public Utilities Commission sat down to vote on the utility’s proposals yesterday, Feb. 13th, they refused to take a vote and instead delayed their decision – again – and this time for the fourth time

The San Diego Chapter of the Sierra Club – who has opposed these plants – is pissed off, and they’re demanding answers – and rightfully so. The Chapter head, Lori Saldana, called it “unacceptable.”   [Read more…]

The Starting Line – Obamacare in California = $100 a Month Family Premiums

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On Wednesday Covered California, our state’s healthcare exchange program created as a result of the passage of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), announced standardized benefits and costs for health insurance plans it will begin selling next year.

This is huge. One of the most difficult parts of buying any health insurance plan is trying to winnow out exactly what you get for what you pay. It’s a shell game run by insurance companies, with rules that change annually.

INSIDE: One Billion Rising on Valentines Day, All Those in Favor of Violence Against Women Please Stand, A Really Tasteless Tea Party Video, ‘Biggest Climate Rally’ Ever Slated for Sunday   [Read more…]

Screwed Again –Or Not: The continuing saga of on-line dating

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I have a birthday coming up in a few days. My last experience with on-line dating made me find my birth certificate – yes, they had them back then – to check and see if I was really born many years ago, or if there could have been a typo and I was really born in 1995. Many of the men I am meeting remind me of my youth – yes, I can remember back that far – and the titillating things we talked about during the dating process.

I am not happy to report that things have not changed significantly. Men still want to talk about all the things we read about in “Catcher in the Rye” or “Lady Chatterley’s Lover.” So let me tell you about my latest.

I “met” J. on line about 5 months ago. He, like me, is a widower; a year older than me; lives in Henderson, Nevada, and is about to embark on a million dollar solar plant in the desert. He told me right away that all of his monies were tied up in this project – one that he has been working on for over ten years – and that he didn’t have much discretionary money to play with. As we continued our daily conversations, we found that we had much in common and even though I did not believe a lot of what he said, he was fun and interesting to talk to.   [Read more…]

Homelessness: NIMBYism

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NIMBY is the abbreviation of the phrase, “Not In My BackYard.” It is a term used to describe the negative emotional reaction that some of us experience when we fear that other people, who belong in a group other than the group to which we align ourselves, may live near or among us.

NIMBYism is the term used as a noun as in the sentence, “Group homes for people with severe mental challenges are not welcome in this neighborhood because of the NIMBYism of its residents.”

The focus of NIMBYism can be any race, economic class or any basis upon which similarly situated people can be distinguished from other groups.

The online Merriam-Webster Dictionary states that the first known use of this term was in 1980. However, the negative emotional response to people unlike ourselves living in our neighborhoods developed long before its use in everyday parlance.   [Read more…]

BFF Means “Best Friends Forever,” Even in the Face of Alzheimer’s

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by Marian Karpisek with Mnimaka Brockett, Mahtowin Howe, Nere Lartitegui, Maruca Leach and Jean Stein

Our bright, creative and loving friend, Sunny, began slipping away from us several years ago. At first we weren’t aware of the reality, thinking “of course every one forgets words or thoughts from time to time.” But as the months went by and Sunny’s thought processes continued to decline, it became evident that what was occurring wasn’t a momentary glitch, but something much more serious.

The diagnosis of Early Onset Alzheimer’s did not come as a shock, but sad confirmation of our observations and fears. Now the question became, what can we do to make Sunny’s life as good as possible? Of course her family is her first line of support, but friends fill an important role that family alone cannot. Thus, the “Sunny Support Group” (SSG) was born, connecting six women who all loved Sunny, but did not necessarily know each other well.

Our goals are to ensure that Sunny continues to be surrounded by friends and to keep her connected to the outside world for as long as possible. Through these goals, we can give Sunny more moments of happiness and joy as we continue our friendship with her.   [Read more…]

Edison and Mitsubishi Knew San Onofre Steam Generators Were Defective

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By Michael Steinberg / Black Rain Press

A press release issued Wednesday by two prominent members of Congress charged that Southern California Edison (SCE) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) knew that the two replacement steam generators for the San Onofre nuclear plant were defective, and avoided adding safety measures to keep from triggering stricter scrutiny by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Senator Barbara Boxer of California and Congressman Ed Markey of Massachusetts send a letter to NRC Chair Allison Macfarlane on Wednesday stating,

“Southern California Edison and MHI were aware of serious problems with the design of San Onofre nuclear power plant’s replacement steam generators before they were installed. Further, SCE and MHI rejected enhanced safety modifications and avoided triggering a more rigorous license amendment and safety review process.”

San Onofre units 2 and 3 have been shut down for over a year, because of serious problems in the replacement steam generators that caused serious damage and rendered operation of the two nuclear reactors unsafe.   [Read more…]

Suicides in the Military Reach a New High

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By Paula Hoffman-Villanueva/COMDSD.org

Just as Americans have, for over four decades, uncomfortably turned their heads when confronted with homeless Vietnam veterans in the street, people now hear of the escalating suicide rates of our current military and go on about their business. We thought recent reports alarming enough to revisit the subject in order to remind ourselves why counter-recruitment organizations are dedicated to informing young people about harsh military realities before they decide to enlist.

While experts struggle with this “epidemic” (a word used by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta), it is really quite obvious to peace activists what the problem is. Simply put, the emotional pain of war along with military demands can cause suicide.   [Read more…]

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