It is a complicated problem
The issue of "patient dumping" has resurfaced in Los Angeles. For those not aware of what happens, homeless people who wind up being admitted to hospitals around Southern California due to the requirements of EMTALA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMTALA). So some of those hospitals have dumped these people in and around the Skid Row area. Now a specific case involving Beverly Hospital in Montebello has brought this issue up again. They didn't admit wrongdoing but reached a settlement where they agreed to set up protocols for dealing with patients like that.
Should a hospital be able to just wheel a patient being discharged outside their front door and have their responsibilities end there? Of course not. The hospital needs to give them a treatment plan, as they don't keep people in a hospital bed until they are 100% well. Follow-on care, housing and the like are all issues that should be resolved before the patient leaves. But when the patient doesn't have a home to return to, it creates a problem.
A problem I'm all too familiar with. When I was ready to leave the sub-acute center after nearly a year in bed, I had nowhere to go. My apartment had been emptied by family and friends, so I wouldn't be paying rent I couldn't afford to keep a space empty. I'd been in a coma when that decision was initially reached, but I validated it when I awoke, just before it would have happened anyway. So where was I to go? The reality was, the sub-acute facility would continue to house me until a new living situation was located, where my recovery could continue. That's how I wound up here. But I wasn't indigent.
What would they have done if that had been the case is something I'm not sure I'd like to know. While the available resources to aid the homeless are woefully overextended, they must become the court of first resort for hospitals faced with continuing to house someone ready for discharge or just dumping them on the street. Neither option is a good one, so others must be found.
The problem of the homeless is only going to get worse in this country. The economy isn't really improving. The continued inequality of income and wealth only exacerbates this problem. Today we learned that the 85 richest people in the world own as much as the entire bottom half of the world's population. That's another problem that doesn't have an easy solution. But preventing patient dumping is a solvable problem. Let's solve it.
* * *
I refused to pay money to see the movie "Ender's Game." It didn't look like a good film anyway, but the reason I refused was because I deplore the refusal of the author of the novel, Orson Scott Card, to apologize for homophobic statements of his. That they were rendered, as he describes them, "moot" is not relevant. They require an apology and until they do, I personally will not do anything that might put one red cent in his pocket. At least that was my opinion.
That's my right. As it is the right of people to organize boycotts and protest against actress Maria Conchita Alonso because of her political positions. She was going to star in a Spanish language production of "The Vagina Monologues" but she pulled out because her support of a Tea Party candidate was causing such controversy.
I think she should have done the play. The response to those who try to disrupt what you do as an artist because of your positions on issues not connected to your art should be to go ahead and continue your work. I loathe a number of the political positions of Sean Penn, but I'm not going to boycott his films because of it. He's an amazing actor and I enjoy his acting immensely. That my former classmate at Samohi holds those political positions in no way impacts his work on screen and stage.
So I've re-thought my position on Enders Game. If I'm at Redbox and it is available, the reason I won't rent it will no longer have anything to do with my feelings about Mr. Card's position on an issue. It will be because it doesn't look like a film I'd enjoy.
* * *
Remember the fine film "Absence of Malice?" If not, it's worth renting. The title refers to one of the key elements that must be present in order for someone to be guilty of defamation. If they are "absent malice", then they can't be guilty of defaming someone.
The 9th Circuit Court has just ruled that bloggers throughout California and the eight other states the court has jurisdiction over, now enjoy the same protection from charges of defamation that professional journalists have.
I won't sleep any better at night and will continue to fact-check and provide attribution to any statement of fact I make. Old habits die hard.
* * *
Random Ponderings:
Are Richard Sherman and Dennis Rodman related in some way?
Pissing in the snow is one step up from doing it in a mop bucket, but I don't think Bieber is making progress.
If any supermodels other than Maryna Linchuk are in need of a "boob holder", I know a lot of guys who would be up to the task (apparently she's already hired one).
I'm still not sure how a nun could be pregnant and then give birth without knowing she was knocked up.
Even if Governor Chris Christie is cleared of all of the allegations against him that are currently being investigated, I suspect his presidential aspirations for 2016 are dead.
Did I just hear some talking head on CNN describe marijuana as a "gateway" drug? Gateway to where and what? Someone's been watching too many reruns of "Dragnet".
Super-agent Leigh Steinberg made the right call when he chose not to do a scene with Tom Cruise in "Jerry Maguire."
Will Billy Crystal have any new projects in the works to talk about when he's the last guest of Jay Leno on The Tonight Show?
Some moron threw maybe a handful of popcorn at SF 49ers player NaVorro Bowman was being carted off the field following an injury. He or she is a jerk. No need to blame all Seattle fans for one idiot's transgression.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is floating a proposed change to the way scoring works in the league and it's an interesting idea. Touchdowns will be seven points and teams can choose to go for an eighth point if they wish. But if they fail to score the extra point (probably via the current two point method so it isn't ridiculously easy), they only get six instead of seven. They should look closely at it before putting it into use though.
It turns out the Jamaican bobsled team needs $80,000 to go to Sochi. Their countryman, Usain Bolt, should reach into that $30 million net worth of his and fund the trip. If he's really interesting in the Olympic ideal.
Wow, Ray Anthony is 92 now. I remember meeting him back in 1987 at the wildest birthday party I ever went to. He was (and is) also one hell of a trumpet player.
* * *
I came up with a few new ideas for reality TV shows that would push the edge of the envelope a bit:
The Real Housewives of Fargo: Following frumpy females who spend their time watching sports at the local Buffalo Wild Wings, bowling regularly and trying to stay warm.
Tyler Perry’s Drag Race: The actor/writer/director/producer hosts a show where men try to do the best impression of Madea to win a $2,500 gift certificate for clothing.
Dancing With the Also-rans: Members of the teams that lost the World Series, the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Final pair up with former dance teachers from the Arthur Murray School of dance.
Parking Wars Redux: Rather than focus on parking enforcement personnel, this show follows people around the gigantic parking lots of major malls, showcasing battles between two or more cars for one space; and how sometimes people come to blows over such things.
Upchucking With the Kardashians: Outtake footage from the E! Entertainment Network reality show, where the sisters throw up the expensive food their momager forces them to eat, in order to keep their svelte shapes.
* * *
250 – Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Pope Fabian is martyred.
649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom.
1265 – In Westminster, the first English parliament conducts its first meeting held by Simon de Montfort in the Palace of Westminster, now also known colloquially as the "Houses of Parliament".
1320 – Duke Wladyslaw Lokietek becomes king of Poland.
1356 – Edward Balliol abdicates as King of Scotland.
1523 – Christian II is forced to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway.
1567 – Battle of Rio de Janeiro: Portuguese forces under the command of Estácio de Sá definitively drive the French out of Rio de Janeiro.
1576 – The Mexican city of León is founded by order of the viceroy Don Martín Enríquez de Almanza.
1649 – Charles I of England goes on trial for treason and other "high crimes".
1783 – The Kingdom of Great Britain signs a peace treaty with France and Spain, officially ending hostilities in the American Revolutionary War (also known as the American War of Independence).
1785 – Invading Siamese forces attempt to exploit the political chaos in Vietnam, but are ambushed and annihilated at the Mekong River by the Tay Son in the Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút.
1788 – The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay. Arthur Phillip decides that Botany Bay is unsuitable for the location of a penal colony, and decides to move to Port Jackson.
1839 – In the Battle of Yungay, Chile defeats an alliance between Peru and Bolivia.
1841 – Hong Kong Island is occupied by the British.
1885 – L.A. Thompson patents the roller coaster.
1887 – The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base.
1920 – The American Civil Liberties Union is founded.
1921 – The first Constitution of Turkey is adopted, making fundamental changes in the source and exercise of sovereignty by consecrating the principle of national sovereignty.
1929 – In Old Arizona, the first full-length talking motion picture filmed outdoors, is released.
1934 – Fujifilm, the photographic and electronics company, is founded in Tokyo, Japan.
1936 – Edward VIII becomes King of the United Kingdom.
1941 – A German officer is murdered in Bucharest, Romania, sparking a rebellion and pogrom by the Iron Guard, killing 125 Jews and 30 soldiers.
1942 – World War II: At the Wannsee Conference held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, senior Nazi German officials discuss the implementation of the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question".
1945 – World War II: Hungary agrees to an armistice with the Allies.
1945 – World War II: Germany begins the evacuation of 1.8 million people from East Prussia, a task which will take nearly two months.
1949 – Point Four Program a program for economic aid to poor countries announced by United States President Harry S. Truman in his inaugural address for a full term as President.
1954 – The National Negro Network is established with 40 charter member radio stations.
1959 – The first flight of the Vickers Vanguard.
1960 – Hendrik Verwoerd announces a plebiscite on whether South Africa should become a Republic.
1969 – East Pakistani police kill student activist Amanullah Asaduzzaman. The resulting outrage is in part responsible for the Bangladesh Liberation War.
1972 – Pakistan launched its Nuclear weapons program few weeks after its defeat in Bangladesh Liberation War and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
1981 – Twenty minutes after Ronald Reagan is inaugurated, at age 69 the oldest man ever to be inaugurated as U.S. President, Iran releases 52 American hostages.
1986 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.
1987 – Church of England envoy Terry Waite is kidnapped in Lebanon.
1990 – On Black Saturday, the Red Army kills Azerbaijani civilians in Baku.
1991 – Sudan's government imposes Islamic law nationwide, worsening the civil war between the country's Muslim north and Christian south.
1992 – Air Inter Flight 148, an Airbus A320-111, crashes into a mountain near Strasbourg, France killing 87 of the 96 people on board. A design flaw in the computer mode selection system resulted in the crew selecting the wrong rate of descent.
1999 – The China News Service announces new government restrictions on Internet use, aimed especially at Internet cafés.
2001 – Philippine president Joseph Estrada is ousted in a nonviolent 4-day revolution, and is succeeded by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
2006 – Witnesses report seeing a bottlenose whale swimming in the River Thames, the first time the species had been seen in the Thames since records began in 1913.
2007 – A three-man team, using only skis and kites, completes a 1,093-mile (1,759 km) trek to reach the southern pole of inaccessibility for the first time since 1958 and for the first time ever without mechanical assistance.
2009 – A protest movement in Iceland culminates as the 2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests start.
Famous Folk born on January 20th:
Richard Henry Lee
Anson Jones
Ruth St. Denis
Harold Gray
George Burns
Aristotle Onassis
DeForest Kelley
Ray Anthony
Slim Whitman
Patricia Neal
Arte Johnson
Buzz Aldrin
Rick Evans
Eric Stewart
David Lynch
Natan Sharansky
Paul Stanley
Bill Maher
Lorenzo Lamas
Tami Hoag
Ron Harper
Stacey Dash
Rainn Wilson
Skeet Ulrich
No movie quotes today.
Should a hospital be able to just wheel a patient being discharged outside their front door and have their responsibilities end there? Of course not. The hospital needs to give them a treatment plan, as they don't keep people in a hospital bed until they are 100% well. Follow-on care, housing and the like are all issues that should be resolved before the patient leaves. But when the patient doesn't have a home to return to, it creates a problem.
A problem I'm all too familiar with. When I was ready to leave the sub-acute center after nearly a year in bed, I had nowhere to go. My apartment had been emptied by family and friends, so I wouldn't be paying rent I couldn't afford to keep a space empty. I'd been in a coma when that decision was initially reached, but I validated it when I awoke, just before it would have happened anyway. So where was I to go? The reality was, the sub-acute facility would continue to house me until a new living situation was located, where my recovery could continue. That's how I wound up here. But I wasn't indigent.
What would they have done if that had been the case is something I'm not sure I'd like to know. While the available resources to aid the homeless are woefully overextended, they must become the court of first resort for hospitals faced with continuing to house someone ready for discharge or just dumping them on the street. Neither option is a good one, so others must be found.
The problem of the homeless is only going to get worse in this country. The economy isn't really improving. The continued inequality of income and wealth only exacerbates this problem. Today we learned that the 85 richest people in the world own as much as the entire bottom half of the world's population. That's another problem that doesn't have an easy solution. But preventing patient dumping is a solvable problem. Let's solve it.
* * *
I refused to pay money to see the movie "Ender's Game." It didn't look like a good film anyway, but the reason I refused was because I deplore the refusal of the author of the novel, Orson Scott Card, to apologize for homophobic statements of his. That they were rendered, as he describes them, "moot" is not relevant. They require an apology and until they do, I personally will not do anything that might put one red cent in his pocket. At least that was my opinion.
That's my right. As it is the right of people to organize boycotts and protest against actress Maria Conchita Alonso because of her political positions. She was going to star in a Spanish language production of "The Vagina Monologues" but she pulled out because her support of a Tea Party candidate was causing such controversy.
I think she should have done the play. The response to those who try to disrupt what you do as an artist because of your positions on issues not connected to your art should be to go ahead and continue your work. I loathe a number of the political positions of Sean Penn, but I'm not going to boycott his films because of it. He's an amazing actor and I enjoy his acting immensely. That my former classmate at Samohi holds those political positions in no way impacts his work on screen and stage.
So I've re-thought my position on Enders Game. If I'm at Redbox and it is available, the reason I won't rent it will no longer have anything to do with my feelings about Mr. Card's position on an issue. It will be because it doesn't look like a film I'd enjoy.
* * *
Remember the fine film "Absence of Malice?" If not, it's worth renting. The title refers to one of the key elements that must be present in order for someone to be guilty of defamation. If they are "absent malice", then they can't be guilty of defaming someone.
The 9th Circuit Court has just ruled that bloggers throughout California and the eight other states the court has jurisdiction over, now enjoy the same protection from charges of defamation that professional journalists have.
I won't sleep any better at night and will continue to fact-check and provide attribution to any statement of fact I make. Old habits die hard.
* * *
Random Ponderings:
Are Richard Sherman and Dennis Rodman related in some way?
Pissing in the snow is one step up from doing it in a mop bucket, but I don't think Bieber is making progress.
If any supermodels other than Maryna Linchuk are in need of a "boob holder", I know a lot of guys who would be up to the task (apparently she's already hired one).
I'm still not sure how a nun could be pregnant and then give birth without knowing she was knocked up.
Even if Governor Chris Christie is cleared of all of the allegations against him that are currently being investigated, I suspect his presidential aspirations for 2016 are dead.
Did I just hear some talking head on CNN describe marijuana as a "gateway" drug? Gateway to where and what? Someone's been watching too many reruns of "Dragnet".
Super-agent Leigh Steinberg made the right call when he chose not to do a scene with Tom Cruise in "Jerry Maguire."
Will Billy Crystal have any new projects in the works to talk about when he's the last guest of Jay Leno on The Tonight Show?
Some moron threw maybe a handful of popcorn at SF 49ers player NaVorro Bowman was being carted off the field following an injury. He or she is a jerk. No need to blame all Seattle fans for one idiot's transgression.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is floating a proposed change to the way scoring works in the league and it's an interesting idea. Touchdowns will be seven points and teams can choose to go for an eighth point if they wish. But if they fail to score the extra point (probably via the current two point method so it isn't ridiculously easy), they only get six instead of seven. They should look closely at it before putting it into use though.
It turns out the Jamaican bobsled team needs $80,000 to go to Sochi. Their countryman, Usain Bolt, should reach into that $30 million net worth of his and fund the trip. If he's really interesting in the Olympic ideal.
Wow, Ray Anthony is 92 now. I remember meeting him back in 1987 at the wildest birthday party I ever went to. He was (and is) also one hell of a trumpet player.
* * *
I came up with a few new ideas for reality TV shows that would push the edge of the envelope a bit:
The Real Housewives of Fargo: Following frumpy females who spend their time watching sports at the local Buffalo Wild Wings, bowling regularly and trying to stay warm.
The Drake: A
remake of Fox’s “The Swan” featuring unattractive, unhappy men receiving
plastic surgery, weight loss support, counseling and physical training. Two men on each week’s episode who compete
for the right to enter the Drake Pageant at the end of the season, where the
winner will be offered a job by a famous male stripper troupe.
Breastaurant Server All-Star Sports
Competition: Girls who work at Hooters,
Tilted Kilt, Twin Peaks, Bombshells, Mugs and Jugs and the Heart Attack Grill
compete in traditional sports like tug of war, beach volleyball and
non-traditional sports like jiggling for speed and who can walk in the highest
heels while wearing a bikini.
Dick Dynasty:
Cameras follow every member of the Stirling family, owners of a wildly
successful wholesale business selling dildos and other sex toys to sex shops
all over the world.
Behind Closed Bathroom Doors: Strategically placed cameras in restrooms of
both genders that catch sight of people in front of the mirrors and sinks after
they’ve answered the call of nature.
Will they wash their hands? Will
they pick their nose?
American Idle:
Cameras follow members of OWS doing everything they can to avoid having
to work for a living.
America’s Next Top Model-Maker: Contestants try to build the best model
airplane from identical kits and ten items selected from a long list.
Beer Factor:
Contestants try to cook using beer with foods that do not work well with
beer and then are forced to eat their own creations.
Big Mother:
Univision presents this behind the scenes look at a Mexican drug cartel
run by a hefty woman who has been known to order the beheading of anyone who
calls her fat.Tyler Perry’s Drag Race: The actor/writer/director/producer hosts a show where men try to do the best impression of Madea to win a $2,500 gift certificate for clothing.
Dancing With the Also-rans: Members of the teams that lost the World Series, the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Final pair up with former dance teachers from the Arthur Murray School of dance.
Parking Wars Redux: Rather than focus on parking enforcement personnel, this show follows people around the gigantic parking lots of major malls, showcasing battles between two or more cars for one space; and how sometimes people come to blows over such things.
Upchucking With the Kardashians: Outtake footage from the E! Entertainment Network reality show, where the sisters throw up the expensive food their momager forces them to eat, in order to keep their svelte shapes.
* * *
250 – Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Pope Fabian is martyred.
649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom.
1265 – In Westminster, the first English parliament conducts its first meeting held by Simon de Montfort in the Palace of Westminster, now also known colloquially as the "Houses of Parliament".
1320 – Duke Wladyslaw Lokietek becomes king of Poland.
1356 – Edward Balliol abdicates as King of Scotland.
1523 – Christian II is forced to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway.
1567 – Battle of Rio de Janeiro: Portuguese forces under the command of Estácio de Sá definitively drive the French out of Rio de Janeiro.
1576 – The Mexican city of León is founded by order of the viceroy Don Martín Enríquez de Almanza.
1649 – Charles I of England goes on trial for treason and other "high crimes".
1783 – The Kingdom of Great Britain signs a peace treaty with France and Spain, officially ending hostilities in the American Revolutionary War (also known as the American War of Independence).
1785 – Invading Siamese forces attempt to exploit the political chaos in Vietnam, but are ambushed and annihilated at the Mekong River by the Tay Son in the Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút.
1788 – The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay. Arthur Phillip decides that Botany Bay is unsuitable for the location of a penal colony, and decides to move to Port Jackson.
1839 – In the Battle of Yungay, Chile defeats an alliance between Peru and Bolivia.
1841 – Hong Kong Island is occupied by the British.
1885 – L.A. Thompson patents the roller coaster.
1887 – The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base.
1920 – The American Civil Liberties Union is founded.
1921 – The first Constitution of Turkey is adopted, making fundamental changes in the source and exercise of sovereignty by consecrating the principle of national sovereignty.
1929 – In Old Arizona, the first full-length talking motion picture filmed outdoors, is released.
1934 – Fujifilm, the photographic and electronics company, is founded in Tokyo, Japan.
1936 – Edward VIII becomes King of the United Kingdom.
1941 – A German officer is murdered in Bucharest, Romania, sparking a rebellion and pogrom by the Iron Guard, killing 125 Jews and 30 soldiers.
1942 – World War II: At the Wannsee Conference held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, senior Nazi German officials discuss the implementation of the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question".
1945 – World War II: Hungary agrees to an armistice with the Allies.
1945 – World War II: Germany begins the evacuation of 1.8 million people from East Prussia, a task which will take nearly two months.
1949 – Point Four Program a program for economic aid to poor countries announced by United States President Harry S. Truman in his inaugural address for a full term as President.
1954 – The National Negro Network is established with 40 charter member radio stations.
1959 – The first flight of the Vickers Vanguard.
1960 – Hendrik Verwoerd announces a plebiscite on whether South Africa should become a Republic.
1969 – East Pakistani police kill student activist Amanullah Asaduzzaman. The resulting outrage is in part responsible for the Bangladesh Liberation War.
1972 – Pakistan launched its Nuclear weapons program few weeks after its defeat in Bangladesh Liberation War and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
1981 – Twenty minutes after Ronald Reagan is inaugurated, at age 69 the oldest man ever to be inaugurated as U.S. President, Iran releases 52 American hostages.
1986 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.
1987 – Church of England envoy Terry Waite is kidnapped in Lebanon.
1990 – On Black Saturday, the Red Army kills Azerbaijani civilians in Baku.
1991 – Sudan's government imposes Islamic law nationwide, worsening the civil war between the country's Muslim north and Christian south.
1992 – Air Inter Flight 148, an Airbus A320-111, crashes into a mountain near Strasbourg, France killing 87 of the 96 people on board. A design flaw in the computer mode selection system resulted in the crew selecting the wrong rate of descent.
1999 – The China News Service announces new government restrictions on Internet use, aimed especially at Internet cafés.
2001 – Philippine president Joseph Estrada is ousted in a nonviolent 4-day revolution, and is succeeded by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
2006 – Witnesses report seeing a bottlenose whale swimming in the River Thames, the first time the species had been seen in the Thames since records began in 1913.
2007 – A three-man team, using only skis and kites, completes a 1,093-mile (1,759 km) trek to reach the southern pole of inaccessibility for the first time since 1958 and for the first time ever without mechanical assistance.
2009 – A protest movement in Iceland culminates as the 2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests start.
Famous Folk born on January 20th:
Richard Henry Lee
Anson Jones
Ruth St. Denis
Harold Gray
George Burns
Aristotle Onassis
DeForest Kelley
Ray Anthony
Slim Whitman
Patricia Neal
Arte Johnson
Buzz Aldrin
Rick Evans
Eric Stewart
David Lynch
Natan Sharansky
Paul Stanley
Bill Maher
Lorenzo Lamas
Tami Hoag
Ron Harper
Stacey Dash
Rainn Wilson
Skeet Ulrich
No movie quotes today.
posted by me at 4:43 PM
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