Dear PETA: Get some perspective. Sincerely, Me

As an example of the "one bad apple . . . " theory, I submit for today's reading pleasure PETA.

When I was at [tree-hugging-conservation-loving-hippie] college, we got a good laugh out of their "Eat the Whales" campaign and made the most out of their "Got Beer?" campaign, but seriously - these folks go so far on some topics that they totally turn folks off of the good points that they make. YES, there are plenty of places where animals are treated cruelly and YES we should put an end to that. But their self-proclaimed "uncompromising views on animal rights" turn issues into a black-or-white, right-or-wrong, all-or-nothing battle.

PETA wants things to change - okay, good for them, so do I (though not necessarily the same things). But as Jane Goodall said, "Lasting change is a series of compromises. And compromise is all right, as long your values don't change."

A few major issues I have:

PETA wants to ban the pit bull breed.
Tiffany says - sure, because that will stop dog fighting. NOT! Ban the bad guys, not the breed. And really, the number of dogs used for fighting that resemble pit bulls is amazing - go here to see if you can find the pit bull. Interesting, hmm? Would PETA like us to also ban the ~20 breeds that are often confused with pit bulls, too?

PETA hates zoos, saying they, "almost always favor large and charismatic animals who draw crowds and neglect less popular, but still needy, species," and that, "returning captive-bred animals to the wild is, in most cases, impossible."
Tiffany says - large and charismatic animals are an excellent way to get people into the zoo so that we can expose them to those less-known species. Great example -- at the Saint Louis Zoo, people may come to see the polar bears. While they are there, we introduce them to the less-known but more-threatened Malayan Sun Bear, which is actually the most endangered bear in the world. Or we get folks to care about "umbrella species," like elephants, and by preserving their habitat we also save a number of other species that share the habitat.

Tiffany also says - reintroduction of captive-born animals, if done correctly, can not only increase population levels and genetic diversity, but also provide excellent educational opportunities. Check out the collaboration between the National Zoo & Brazil to help populations of Golden Lion Tamarins.

More recently, PETA threw a fit because St. Louis Children's Hospital uses cats to teach its Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) class. The cats are sedated heavily and monitored by a veterinarian while people learn how to intubate infants. This is done four to six times a year, and after a few years the cats are adopted out. So yes, how dare they house, feed and provide veterinary care for these animals before finding them good homes, all while also teaching people how to save infants' lives while the cats are asleep! According to PETA, the cats would be better off euthanized. [sarcasm] That makes perfect sense to me. [/sarcasm]

What I want to know is this: let's say that, heaven forbid, one of these PETA folks' newborn children stops breathing. Do you honestly think they are going to ask the paramedic how they learned PALS? Do you really think they will say, "no, don't touch my child!" if the responder learned using a cat rather than a mannequin? Because seriously - if anyone I know stops breathing suddenly, I don't care how you learned to save them, just save them!

So here is the point of my rant:
By taking an "uncompromising" stand on certain issues, PETA alienates people who, like me, believe that problems are best solved through collaboration and cooperation. PETA gets no support from me, I choose to support those organizations who I believe really promote animal welfare - and that includes punishing animal abusers, not banning breeds; and promoting species survival and conservation. All species alive today are here because they've been able to adapt to changing environmental conditions. If PETA can't adapt to changes in society, they too face extinction -- and I can't say I'd be sad to see them go.

Pepper is 3!

To start the week off on the right foot:

Pepper turned three yesterday! Here is what he looked like when he first came to live with us, in November of 2006:


He only weighed 10 lbs, thanks to having worms - here he is the following March:

Pepper deciding that he was coming on our honeymoon with us:


Pepper after vanquishing a snapping turtle - or so he thought, we didn't have the heart to tell him daddy vanquished it (legally, and with a license):


and Pepper with his best dog buddy, Oscar:

Finally Friday!

It's Friday - yay! Time to wrap things up at work and begin planning for the weekend. I don't know about you, but this weeks seems to have been longer than usual.

Here is your assignment for the weekend - give it a try, I promise you'll start next week out on the right foot:
- Each day, be sure to write down three positive things that happened. Big, small, it doesn't matter. If, by the end of the day, you haven't reached three -- make something happen!
- Take 30 minutes each day to do something for you.
- Get outside and breathe some fresh air for at least five minutes each day.

That's it!

For today's positive item, I give you a little perspective:
If you were to condense the entire history of the Earth into 24 hours, with the formation of the Earth happening right at midnight and the present day being right before midnight strikes again, humans have been around for a whopping 34 seconds. Kind of makes waiting in traffic not-so-bad, hmm?

Have a great weekend!

Thursday: Headline Review

I officially declare Thursday to be "Headline Review Day" here at Collective Hunch. Some of these may look familiar, others you may have missed.

Local News
New traffic woes - Apparently potholes, constant construction and road rage aren't enough - now we have to deal with zombies during our daily commute? I envy those work-at-home folks!

Two local dogs will be competing at Westminster, in an attempt to keep the trophy won by Uno last year in the area.


US News
Yesterday, the FBI announced that they are reviewing evidence in the 1982 Tylenol Murders. This case is only 6 months younger than I am, but it's comforting to know that "unsolved" doesn't mean "banished to the attic and forgotten about."

Your ex-wife was murdered, but that doesn't get her out of her lease - I predict a quick change of heart on the part of the landlord of the victim.

The Obama administration cancels Bush-era oil-drilling leases in Utah. Because, like it or not, oil cannot be our only answer to our energy issues!


World News
Germany offers its citizens $3,250 to ditch their old cars in favor of newer, environmentally cleaner ones. Das ist groß!


Politics
The President has imposed caps of $500,000 on executive pay at companies taking federal bailout money. He's a better man than I am - I agreed with Senator McCaskill when she suggested they should get no more than the President himself (and when she called them idiots for giving multi-million dollar bonuses knowing their companies were in trouble).

Crappy luck for the President, finding out that two more of his cabinet nominees had tax "issues." Bonus points to him for acknowledging that he "screwed up" and reinforcing that his administration does not have two sets of rules - one for the elite and one for us normal folks. People make mistakes, and they need to take responsibility for them. For some, it means simply paying back taxes and fines. For others, it means that plus not taking a cabinet position. At least they can step up and say, "this is my fault and I am taking responsibility for it." Unlike my former governor, who seems unable to take a hint.


Business
Signs of the time - I thought this list of 10 businesses that could be extinct within 10 years was interesting.


Tech/Science
Scientists in South America discovered fossils of the longest snake ever known.

It looks like the transition to digital TV will be postponed until June. This ticks me off, for the same reason that I was bothered in school when teachers would add "extra" work time (which was really just taking away time from something else) because some of my classmates complained about not having enough time to complete projects. It's also the same reason I'm bothered by parents who make empty threats to misbehaving children -- if you don't follow through, you're not effective. I went online & requested my converter-box-coupons, I went to Wal-Mart every Saturday until they restocked their supply. My theory - if something is important enough to someone, they will expend the effort to learn about it and take the necessary steps to conform. So what if people who - after listening to the "DTV is coming!" commercials for a year - aren't ready? In case of disaster, turn on the radio, get on the internet, go somewhere that has televisions! We were a "radio-only" society for over thirty years, I'm sure that people could survive without television again.


Health
Kudos to Bill Gates who, during a presentation on malaria, released mosquitos into the audience and said, "Not only poor people should experience this."

We all know exercise is important, but finding the time isn't always easy. Seriously, though - if the President and First Lady can find the time to work out, perhaps the rest of us should be reexamining our schedules for that block of time.


Just for Fun
Are those pigeons in your pants, or are you just happy to . . . oh, those are pigeons in your pants. A funny picture, yes, but a reminder that the black-market wildlife trade is alive and well.

Maybe you should open those letters from the local authorities . . . lest you be jailed for $30,000 in parking fines. Where the heck was this woman parking?

"Animal control, can I help you" . . . "Yes, I'm calling to see if someone could come help me find my 23-foot python?" Those sneaky little snakes - I wonder how long they've been plotting this escape? Luckily, they were found and returned safely to their owner.


Today's positive item:
Finally, dogs' "basking" behavior explained:

(originally from ihasahotdog.com)

Fun with Fowl

After yesterday's post discussing some of my thoughts on health care, today I bring you something lighter and easier to digest.

I like to cook - I enjoy the idea of creating something delicious from things that, on their own, you wouldn't (or shouldn't) eat. In cooking, the whole is equal to more than the sum of its parts. In addition, cooking feeds the "people-pleasing" side of my personality. I like to take care of others - with a new entree or side dish, it's my husband who, bless him, will try almost anything once. With higher-calorie items, or those containing ingredients my DH dislikes, I feed the folks at work. They, as well, will try almost anything once and can often provide helpful feedback and alternative recipe suggestions.

One of my favorite aspects of cooking is finding a recipe that works, using it enough to get comfortable with how all the pieces fit together, and then experimenting with adding or subtracting ingredients. I was 26 years old before I roasted my first chicken (or turkey), and thanks to Good Housekeeping, I found a recipe that not only works, but is simple enough to allow for experimentation. Here are the basics, with my own modification:

Roasting a chicken
Buy a 4-5lb chicken (I buy mine fresh, but frozen would be fine, too - just let it thaw!) & get a roasting pan with a rack - the aluminum ones from the store work fine, but after a few times I just went out & bought my own. Spray the rack with cooking spray.

Set your oven to 450* F, and place the rack one level below the middle.

Take the thawed chicken out of the fridge - the ones I get already have the neck & giblets removed, but if yours doesn't, you'll have to remove them. Check both ends of the chicken, sometimes they are bagged separately (I learned that with my first turkey, which is why the bags are melt-proof). Drain the chicken & pat it dry.

Combine the following: 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (or one clove crushed with a press).

Using your fingers and a knife, if needed, gently separate the skin from the meat of the chicken breast. Do this slowly and try not to tear the skin.

Take the olive oil/herb mixture and rub it under the skin on top of the chicken breast.

Using kitchen string (unflavored dental floss works as well), tie the chicken's legs together.

Combine 3/4 teaspoon salt with 1 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, rub all over chicken. Place chicken on rack in roasting pan, breast-side up.

Pour water into roasting pan just enough to cover the pan bottom.

Cover with an aluminum foil tent and cook for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 15 minutes or until done. "Done" means that a thermometer reads 175* when inserted into the thigh closest to the body, but not touching the bone.

Lift the chicken from the roasting pan & tilt it so that the juices run out into the pan. Let the chicken sit 10 minutes before carving*. When you carve the chicken, there will be more juices - I carve on a plate or a plastic cutting board to allow for collection of these juices.

Pour juices into a sauce pan, skim off fat & discard. Add a little water if necessary, cook on medium for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve the chicken with the pan juices.


That's it! Now, here are a few ways to experiment:

- Replace the olive oil with 1 tablespoon melted butter. You can even add some pieces of butter under the skin on the chicken breast.
- Replace the herbs and garlic with different seasonings (use 1 1/2 teaspoons total). I've used a salt-free lemon pepper seasoning and a barbecue seasoning, both with great results.
- Use something other than salt and pepper to rub all over the chicken. When I used the lemon pepper seasoning on the inside, I used it as a rub as well.
- Stuff the chicken cavity with lemon slices
- Use a turkey instead! You'll need to change the temperature and cooking time as follows: Use a thawed 14-lb turkey, preheat oven to 325* F, cover with aluminum foil & cook 2 1/2 hours, remove foil and cook another 45 minutes or until done. "Done" means a thermometer inserted into the breast is 165* and the thigh next to the body but not touching bone is 175 - 180*. I did this for Thanksgiving this year (twice!) and it was a big hit, both hot and cold.

Don't have the time or inclination to put that much effort into a chicken? No problem - check out the recipe at right for "Joan's crock-pot chicken," from a friend at work. Super easy and absolutely delicious!

* I'm a firm believer that everyone should know how to carve a bird. Food Network has a good article with pictures here or a video of Alton Brown using a slightly different method here. Happy carving!

Positive thing for the day:

Joy is . . .

A wiener dog in the snow!

A Trip to the ER & Thoughts on Health Care

I arrived home Saturday from my weekly grocery run to find my Dear Husband (DH) splitting and stacking firewood with his friends. As I unloaded the car, I noticed that he was splitting wood using only his left hand, holding his right arm close to his side. I asked, "What did you do to your hand?" His response? "I think I broke it."

A trip to the wonderful ER at Alton Memorial Hospital confirmed that he had, in fact, sustained a small "chip" fracture of one of the carpal bones in the right hand. Our experience at the ED was great - the triage nurse was very kind & explained how the ED was set up and why she was sending us through the South ER, the registration staff was nice and thorough, the doctor showed us the fracture on screen & and our entire time at the facility was only about one hour. Monday, DH visited an orthopedic surgeon for a follow-up visit. He now has a cast and orders not to return to work until after he revisits the surgeon in two weeks.

In all, this little incident cost us a few hours of our time, $100 for our ER co-pay, $20 for the orthopedic surgeon's co-pay, and another $20 for the follow-up. We'll end up paying 5% of the total radiology charges, but all told it's not much out of pocket, especially after the supplemental insurance DH has kicks in -- I have no complaints about our health insurance.

I wonder, however, what situation we would be in without the coverage we have. a quick search of msnbc.com yields numerous articles about disparities in health care coverage, rising costs and shrinking coverage. Combined with the seemingly-unending number of layoffs affecting our country these days, the number of people with inadequate coverage - or worse, none at all - keeps climbing.

There are multiple reasons why I care about this situation. Primarily, it's because I'm human, and the suffering of others bothers me. I find the thought of children without preventive care, elderly folks having to choose which medications are most important, or families having to declare bankruptcy thanks to an unexpected illness disturbing, if not disgusting.

Secondly - though definitely less empathetic - I don't like the idea of paying for a flawed system. I have no problem paying taxes to fund Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security. I am a firm believer that our country should provide health care for its citizens when they are unable to work or have retired. My problem is with the way these programs compensate providers for services, and how privately-insured folks (like me) end up paying extra to subsidize care.

What am I talking about? The cost shift - sometimes referred to as health care's "dirty little secret" - in which private insurers pay more than the cost of care to make up for the fact that Medicare & Medicaid pay less than the cost of care. Let me break it down using data from the St. Louis Business Health Coalition's 2007 Health Care Industry Overview. For the sake of simplicity, we'll use round numbers to start with, and let's say my insurance company covers everything past my co-pay.

Let's start by sending me to the ER and supposing that the total cost of my trip was $1000. We'll use data from 2005, the most recent available in the BHC report.

In order to cover staff and other overhead, Alton Memorial Hospital (AMH) has a mark-up of 203.5%. This means that, when they put our bill together, the total charge for our trip to the ER is $2035. I paid a $100 co-pay, so AMH will bill my insurance company $1935. (For the sake of comparison, the mark-up at their closest competitor, St. Anthony's Health Center - Alton, is 251% and the mark-up at Tenet's Des Peres Hospital is 343.7%)

AMH is a member of the BJC HealthCare system. Their reimbursement rate from commercial insurers (like mine) is $1.38 per dollar charged. That means that when my insurance company gets a bill for $1935, they will cut a check to AMH for $2670.30. That's $735.30 more than the charge - and $1670.30 more than the actual cost of services. What the heck?

Here's what you didn't know - at the same time I was in the ER, so was Jane Doe - who's insured by Medicare. Jane's trip to the ER also cost $1000, she also paid $100 as a co-pay, and AMH also billed Medicare $1935. Medicare, however, reimburses $0.94 per dollar charged, which means that the check AMH gets from Medicare is $1818.90, which is $116.10 less than the charges and only $818.90 more than the actual cost of care. This leaves AMH $116 below what they need to minimally keep up with overhead and pay their staff - wherever will they find that money?

Oh wait . . .

Me.

Yep, they're going to take that extra $735.30 from my insurance company, subtract $116.10 to make up for the shortfall from Medicare, and they'll be left with $619.20 to put toward investing in new equipment, upgrading older items, community outreach programs, and writing off bad debt from folks who don't pay them at all.

So I help pay for Medicare (and Medicaid, which has the same reimbursement rate) through my taxes and through my health insurance? Do you see my problem with the system? I pay $50.30 per pay period for my health insurance - which I am not complaining about. That's $1307.80 per year. But based on what my company pays out to providers, I'm really paying $947.68 for my health insurance, and $360.12 to subsidize Medicare & Medicaid. As I said in the beginning, I have no problem paying taxes to fund such programs, but subsidizing them using my health insurance seems like a sneaky way to do it.

If you've read this far hoping for an answer to the problem, I'm sorry but you're out of luck. I think this topic, like many, is complex enough that everyone should research in order to make their own decisions. But here are some places to start:

Here is a link to the Obama-Biden health care plan. I think it makes sense, but I also think it will hit a lot of opposition from the Right. Big surprise.

In a Letter to the Editor of Modern HealthCare Magazine, Steve Lipstein, President and CEO of BJC HealthCare, states that the Blue Ridge Academic Group has offered a suggestion for

"the creation of a United States Health Board, legally chartered and established by Congress in a fashion similar to the Federal Reserve.

. . .

"The policy paper suggests that the enabling legislation transfer authority over the regulation and supervision of all health insurance from the states to a United States Health Board. Congress would set the guiding principles that would govern the Health Board’s regulation and supervision role including:
All citizens would have guaranteed access to insurance whether they are employed or not, rich or poor, pre-existing condition or not.
Premiums would be affordable, as would out-of-pocket cost-sharing.
"Americans would have choice of physicians, hospitals and insurance plans. With these principles as guideposts (similar to low inflation and full employment as guideposts for the Fed), the United States Health Board could use its power of regulation and supervision to achieve these desired outcomes."

The paper is available here.

Something I would like to suggest, however, is that no matter what anyone says, the question is never one of how to afford whatever changes are deemed necessary. The question is of how much it is worth to us - as a nation and as individuals - to care for our fellow citizens as we would like to be cared for. If we all looked at the uninsured child as our own, if we pictured our own parents or grandparents having to choose between medications and heat, if we visualized ourselves bankrupt because of an illness; I have a feeling we would find the funding to fix the system.



Today's positive item:
The area I now call home is famous as being the wintering home of bald eagles. What doesn't seem to get as much attention is the fact that, because we're right on the Mississippi Flyway, we also get tundra swans and American white pelicans. There is a remarkable feeling that overtakes me when I see this:

But I get another, different feeling when I look up and see this:
Or when I look out across the water to see this:

It took some pondering, but I think I finally realized what it is -- the realization that although it can be wonderful and refreshing to fly solo, above the noise and the fray, concerned only with your own needs; there are times when you need others to keep you company, make life easier, and watch over you while you sleep.

Hello 2009

I haven't blogged in quite sometime, but the new year - complete with a new administration and my resolution to get back to a regular workout routine, have inspired me to get back online.

My goal for this revamped blog is to share my thoughts on a variety of topics, both big and small, that I find myself pondering. I intend to intersperse heavy topics (like health care) with lighter ones (like favorite recipes or gadgets), so you'll never know what's coming.

In addition, because I know how easy it can be to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of things we feel need "fixing" in today's world, I'll make a point to end every post with something positive, to help us refocus on the fact that change is possible if we are willing to work for it.

So here is my positive item for the day: visit this link to see the tiger cubs at the Saint Louis Zoo playing in their first real snowfall.

Upcoming topics:
- A trip to the ER & thoughts on the cost of health care
- Favorite recipes
- Wishes for Spring