• It will be paid for by savings in the health care system and modest tax increases on the wealthy;
• It will not increase the cost of health care;
• It will make health care available to everyone;
• It will improve the delivery of health care services to everyone;
• There are no losers from the program.

Let’s quickly answer each point.  

• By making health care cost-free to everyone, there will be huge increases in usage.  The models do not anticipate changes in people’s behavior that will result by price changes.  In the initial first two years, the projections may work out, just like the first several years of the social security program worked fine.  Over time, people adapt to take advantage of cost-free goods.  This entitlement program will require more and more money each year, and taxes on the wealthy will soon be taxes on the middle class to pay for the program.
• Adding 40 million people to the health care system without a proportionate increase in doctors and hospitals will increase the cost of medical care, or if the price is controlled by the government, then it will lead to shortages and rationing like in every country that has tried a national health service.  Also, behavior changes will occur over time that also increase the cost of care.  Individuals will not bear the full cost of their reckless behavior; the rest of society will subsidize poor health habits of people.
• Health care will be more available, although we will have to wait for it.  The system currently allocates health care by ability to pay through the price system.  The new system will allocate health care by time — that is, the ability to wait in line to see a physician or get a procedure — eventually, other rationing will take place because the system cannot serve everyone at once.
• There will be some expansion of health services unless the government does not reimburse for the costs, in which case it will be the same facilities for a greater number of people.  It will be like visiting the post office on April 15 — many people wanting service with the same number of windows to serve customers.  Delivery will be to many more people but allocated by time rather than by price.
• The winners will be private clinics in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.  A second, private, cash-only health care system will emerge to allow wealthy individuals to buy their care outside the public system.  If the federal government by law prohibits such a system, it will emerge right over the border in Mexico and Canada to serve U.S. citizens paying cash for care.  Everyone else will wait for care in the public system.  Private insurance companies will eventually leave the market unable to compete with the free government option.   The losers will be everyone who has a choice today in selecting their insurance or payment options.  The winners will be a new army of federal bureaucrats who will have lifetime employment working in the new Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for health care financing. 

A better solution would be to eliminate all tax benefits for health care benefits and return to a cash-based system of paying for care.  This would make health care like any other good and would require individuals to take responsibility for their health decisions like smoking, drinking, taking drugs, etc.  Individuals could also buy insurance for catastrophic health issues.  Those in need who could not pay for care — and the system treats these individuals and illegal immigrants currently at emergency rooms across the country — could avail themselves of charity clinics staffed by physicians volunteering their time at free clinics.  Furthermore, each state could adopt its own system to pay for medical care for the indigent, rather than having an expensive, one-size-fits-all system at the federal level.  This is the way things used to be before the government began funding health care in earnest in the last 1960’s.  Allowing the state’s to experiment will allow successful programs to emerge and failed systems to be shut-down without affecting the entire country.  ObamaCare is another massive government program that we cannot afford.  We will hear more about it during the upcoming presidential campaign.  Let’s see who tells the truth about the program.  Clearly the solution is not more government, but less.

Point could be a punctuation mark used to mark the end of a sentence in different languages. This sign is formed up of tiny dots that are placed at the end of a row of a sentence, like at the end of the sentence.

Signs purpose is also used in abbreviations.

Signs purpose is also used as a decimal illustration in the us, united kingdom, and other countries who said the English language. in the Indonesian language, the decimal illustration is denoted by a comma.

In computers, a dot is usually used as a delimiter so-called dot, as an example in DNS lookups and file names, such as:
www.wikipedia.org
document.doc
192.168.0.1

In programming languages, a dot associated with forty six characters in Unicode and ASCII, or 0×2E. Signs purpose used in variety of programming languages ​​as an important a part of the syntax.

Signs purpose in Asia
In a range of languages ​​in Asia, particularly Chinese and Japanese, the tiny circle is used instead of solid dots: “.” (U +3002 “ideographic Stop Signs”).

In the Devanagari script used to write Hindi, Sanskrit, and variety of other languages ​​in India, the vertical line (”.”) (U +0964 “Devanagari Danda”) is used to mark the end of the sentence. Hindi language referred to as poorna viraam (full stop). Some Indian languages ​​also use a dot like Marathi,

In the Thai language, there is no equivalent symbols with a dot to mark the end of the sentence. Sentences are written while not areas and areas sometimes used to mark the end of the clause or sentence.

1. Signs purpose used at the end of a sentence that is not an issue or exclamation.
Example: i prefer to eat rice.
When followed by a brand new sentence, ought to be given the distance of a knock.

2. Signs purpose at the end of abbreviations used people’s names.
Example:
Irwan S. Gatot
George W. Bush

If the name is written complete, a dot is not used.
Example: Anthony Tumiwa

3. Signs purpose the abbreviation used by the end of the title, position, rank, and greeting.
Example:
Dr. (Doctorate)
S.E. (Economist)
Kol. (Colonel)
Cpc. (Father)

4. Signs purpose abbreviations used in the word or phrase that is very common. in the abbreviation of three letters or additional are solely used a single dot.
Example:
etc.. (And others)
etc.. (And thus on)
date. (Date)
pp. (Page)

5. Signs purpose numbers are used to separate hours, minutes and seconds that shows time or a period of time.
Example:
At 7:10:12 (at 7 through 10 minutes 12 seconds)
0:20:30 hours (20 minutes, 30 seconds)

6. Signs purpose numbers are used to separate thousands or multiples thereof.
Example: the limited town includes a population of fifty one,156 people.

7. Signs purpose numbers are not used to separate thousands or multiples thereof that don’t indicate the quantity.
Example:
The name Ivan contained on pages 1210 and in boldface.
Current Account No. 033 983 I even have given to Mamat.

8. Signs purpose abbreviations not used in the official name of presidency agencies and political subdivision, agency or organization, still because the name of the official documents and in the acronym that has been accepted by the community.
Example:
House of Representatives (DPR)
SMA (High School)
PT (Limited Company)
WHO (World Health Organization)
Constitution (Basic Law)
SIM (Driving License)
Bappenas (National Development designing Agency)
rapim (meeting leader)

9. The dot symbol is not used in the chemical abbreviation, unit of live, measure, weights, and currency.
example:
Cu (copper)
52 cm
l (liters)
Rp350, 00

10. Signs purpose is not used at the end of the title essay is that the head, or head of illustrations, tables, and so on.
example:
Background of establishment
System Events

Grassroots movement is a political movement that is borne off the concept of grassroots democracy. It advocates community involvement in the decision making process and as such encourages individuals and community groups to participate in community events such as rallies and information events. Though it varies from group to group, events that are commonly held by grassroots organisations include:

• organising large gatherings
• setting up information desks and handing out leaflets
• letter, phone or email campaigns etc.

The ways by which grassroots are organised and the causes they support often vary from movement to movement. However, they all share a common element of a strong community support. But what defines a successful grassroots movements? And are they still relevant in today’s society?

Techniques

Often, grassroots movements are movements that is borne off an ideological principle. And yet, not all such principles have turned into large, concerted movement. Also, not all of them have succeeded in achieving their goals. So, what are some common elements among successful grassroots programs?

http://grassrouteguide.com/

Communication

At the heart of any successful grassroots campaign is a good communications strategy. Phone calls, letters, emails and social media are just some of the tools that could be used to this end. More often than not, a successful grassroots campaign will also makes use of other media such as the local newsletter, leaflets and posters and also other broadcast channels to make their message heard. In any grassroots campaign, it is important that messages central to the movement are communicated clearly and coherently.

Community participation

Due to its nature, grassroots movement relies heavily on community participation. Successful grassroots movements often rely on getting communities involved at the local level or at the national level. As such, many grassroots campaign will allow and even encourage participation by the general public. In addition, they often allow for many ways by which people could choose participate. People could choose to help organise activities, turn up at rallies, or just sign the petitions that are provided depending on the level of involvement that they are comfortable with. All this are done with the aim of getting extensive community support to further their cause.

Fundraisers

http://www.fundraisingalmanac.com/

Leaflets, posters and banners carry with them a cost. To pay for these and other such costs, fundraisers are often held in parallel with grassroots project. Though less exciting than other areas of activism that grassroots are engaged in, fundraisers remain a very important area for grassroots organisations. A lack of funds often means an inability for organisations to get their movements off the ground. A good fundraiser strategy can therefore be key to any successful grassroots movement.

Social Impact

Grassroots movement is a fundamental part of any democratic society. Through the ability to organise rallies and protests not only are ordinary citizens able to express their views but they are also able to alter the course of the current policy debate. Campaigns are often carried out with just such an end in mind, with rallies indicating support, or opposition to particular policy platforms. With such a tool at hand, people could encourage or prevent the adoption of particular legislative measures and hence participate in the decision-making process, a central theme in democratic societies.

They could, for instance, voice concerns over pay disputes or workplace disagreements, as in the case of union movements. They could also use grassroots platforms to raise awareness on particular issues. Human rights group and environmental activists have often organised rallies for just such a purpose. Alternatively, they could also be used to demonstrate how widespread support is for a particular cause. Petitions offer a simple way for people to do just that.

Conclusion

In sum, grassroots movements is a phenomenon that has existed for a long time. And while the advent of social media and the like have changed the way such movements are organised, similar principles are still in play today as they were years ago. Various movements, such as anti-war movements and religious groups, have successfully used grassroots movements in the past and they continue to be just as relevant today as they were then.

Please forgive the obvious mistke that is the title pf this short rant, but I honestly despair these days, when I see what the educational system in the country is spewing out as finished students. My wife came home from work the other day, and related the tale to me of an application form she had seen, for a vacant position at her office.

This applicartion had been submitted by a university graduate, but both she and the human resources manager were utterly astounded to see that the applicant had completed their task entirely in text speak, obviously unfamiliar with, or unable to phrase things in the English language.

The two women were a bit taken aback, but apparently the candidate was perfectly serious about the application, and saw nothing amiss with using, in written form, the language in which they tended to communicate most often. This was not, as my wife told me, by any means an isolated incident, the usage of this new form od abridged language becoming more widespread all the time.

It is indeed a serious problem, when more than ten years of full-time education prioduces young people for whom the joys of English literature are n unknown quantity, pupils who somehow get exceptional grades in final exams, yet seem barely capable of stringing a coherent sentence together, let alone writing an essay that might stir the imagination of the reader.

Am I alone in fearing the worst here? We all harp on about the lack of quality in some submissions, and allow a lot of leeway to those for whom English is not the primary language, but should be sp tolerant of those supposedly educated here in the UK, but clearly lacking in even a rudimentary understanding of written English, as their pitiful attempts at writing clearly display.

To achieve the ambition of seeing the site we all love climbing higher up those search engine rankings, we have, in all honesty, to exercise kindness through cruelty. Whilst I applaud, heartily, the desire of any person to become a published writer, I feel that they should at least be capable of composing written works that are both understandable and properly written.

Please do feel free to pass comment on this post, because that is exactly what we need, if the site is to continue the improvement that has been in evidence since the introduction of the flag button. I and every other genuine writer on this site can and do make mistakes in spelling and grammar, which I hopefully catch in time, but at least we only submit pieces that can be read and appreciated. Proper English is losing grund, so beware the text-speak monsters.

In the movie Limitless, Bradley Cooper stars as a man who takes a pill that will allow him to use all of his brain instead of the “20% that we normally use”, according to the film.  Robert De Niro co-stars.  It’s a great movie, if you haven’t seen it already, I would recommend it.

So, do we use only 10% of our brain? Well, guess what, I researched this and apparently its a myth.  We use ALL of our brain.  What I had heard was that we only used 10% and that Einstein used all of his brain.  Apparently he’s one of the figures who was misquoted and this myth is perpetuated in the media and by word of mouth throughout the years.

source:  Neuroscience for Kids, Univ. of Washington

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/tenper.html

Experts believe that we use 100% of our brain, and although there are different pathways being used, it is fully used, even during sleep.

Belonging to the quartz family, agate was on of the first stones used by humans. There are worked pieces which date back to 25,000 BC. It is found in a variety of colours and patterns; blue, brown, green, orange, red (blood agate), white or yellow. The crystal may also have green or brown-black inclusions (moss agate) or regular bands around the edges (fortification agate). Since Ancient Babylon and Ancient Greece, agate has been used as a charm of healing and protection.

Agate is sacred to the Greek god of healing Aesclepius and has long been associated with healing and protection. It also has a long history of use as an amulet for protection from drowning, falling, mischievous fairies and poison. In Ancient Babylon the various shades and colours of agate were believed to have different properties: red agate to cure insect bites and stings, green to cure eye infections, grey to treat throat infections and black or striped agate to protect women from disease.

The Vikings and Saxons used agate to find lost items by axe and stone – a method of divination known as axinomancy. A double-headed axe would be made red-hot and then placed in the ground, the shaft being pushed into a hole. A round agate pebble would then be placed on the axe head. If the pebble stayed on the top of the axe, the questioner had to look elsewhere for the lost item. If it fell to the ground, the questioner had to follow the direction of the rolling stone to find the missing item.

As a healing stone, agate has been used for centuries to treat digestive disorders. The Ancient Greeks would hold a piece to the stomach to ease pains and diarrhoea. Agate helps to induce a peaceful and calming atmosphere; often used in massage and crystal healing. Fortification agate was known to assist in setting boundaries (as the name implies), and Moss agate was used as a talisman to help crops grow and to protect them from adverse weather conditions.

The healing properties of agate are known to come from its ability to promote the circulation of energy around the body, which in the case of digestive disorders, encourages digestion of food into energy. This then speeds up the removal of unpleasant or distressing stomach pains caused by digestion. The ability of this stone to circulate energy also edifies its calming attributes which assists with massage, crystal healing and fortification properties.

© Copyright J M Lennox. All Rights Reserved.

A recent study conducted shows that the usage of cellphones increases the activity in an adult human’s brain.  Now adult humans have thicker skulls, therefore their brain has greater shielding from the electromagnetic radiation that is emitted from the cell phone then a child’s brain. 

The cell phone industry group says there is no research that proves that cell phones are dangerous to the user.  The National Cancer Institute also says there is no “consistent” link between cell phones and cancer as well.  However, they also noted that a child’s brains are still developing and may be at a greater risk because their nervous system is still developing. 

I have heard the arguments for having a cell phone, as I was a hold-out for years.  I only relented when I got a job that had me on the road for days at a time.  I still keep my calls to an absolute minimum.  I think my longest conversation may have been 15 minutes.  Yet, I see kids and young adults talking constantly on their cell phones.  However, on the bright side texting on cell phones reduces the exposure of radio waves.

Before you give your children a cell phone think about the inherent danger that might be there.  Although there is no “consistent” proof that links cell phones to cancer, remember for years and years the public was told by the tobacco industry that smoking was safe.  Tanning parlors are to this day claiming that tanning booths are safe – even though there are several studies that closely link them to cancer.  

I wouldn’t consider myself a hysterical parent by any stretch of the imagination; and my children are still too young to be asking for cell phones; however, my husband and I have had conversations about it.  We both agree that there are many reasons why we will not be giving our children cell phones.  First, we don’t want to knowingly or unknowingly expose our children to electromagnetic radiation that is emitted by cell phones.  Second, encouraging them to have instantaneous contact with their friends at all times of the day is just not a good thing.  Third, children will not always make the best decisions when it comes to their own health – even if the information is available to them.  Fourth, instant gratification is not always a good thing for children – children need to learn that not everything is handed over to them.

Although there is no current “proof” of cell phones causing cancer or brain tumors, we have a whole generation of youth that are growing up with the cell phone at the ear.  I will be the first to say I hope the fears are unfounded; but I will be taking precautions.  Precautions are much more acceptable to me than regrets. 

If you are still going to use cell phones, or allow your children to do so, there are some tips to limiting exposure

• Don’t allow babies, toddlers, or young children to use a cell phone.  These are formative years for their brains.

• Teens should limit use to head sets or texting (you shouldn’t have too difficult of a time convincing them of that).  Keeping the antenna away from the head will help to reduce exposure.

• Do not press the cell phone against the ear.  Keep it at least one inch away or place it on speaker phone when possible.

• Do not carry your cell phone against your body.

• When the signal is weak keep the conversation short.  The cell phone has to work harder to get the signal and the radiation increases.

Shift your Rs

According to some twelve year old spokesperson for one of our better loved broadcasting outfits – “Pofessionals in the healthcare sector were pobably more worried about the threat posed by petend doctors than at any time in history.”

     I too, am worried about a world in which the letter r – always a favourite of mine – disappears up its own fundament. Obviously busy boadcastes can no longe take the time to ponounce evy lette. It is simply too time consuming. Cutbacks must be made and it is clear that out of the 26 lettes of the alphabet, the one that we used to use to bridge the gap between Q and S is the one most perilously perched on the very brink of oblivion.

     It is, of course, at this time of the year that we shall most keenly miss our protagonist (Sorry, I should have said potagonist.): February having now officially been renamed Febuary.

     It is a shame. I shall miss the Rs. Certain popular wartime songs about birds with crimson chests are going to be a whole lot more difficult to sing. Although there will be at least one well known TV and radio presenter who will lie a lot easier in his bed when the last traces of this pesky fellow have been expunged for good.

     It is the younger generation who are in charge of global linguistic change and they cannot be expected to waste their time texting full sentences using all 26 letters of the alphabet. So, whilst we are on the subject of cutbacks, I think it is time that C reconsidered its position. At this moment in time it can still count on the full backing of the board, but nonetheless in words like city and citation, it is clear that hardworking S could step into the breach. And in words such as cupcake and convolvulus, then K would be the man for the job. More kutbacks may well be announced in due kourse.

Go Dutch

Original meaning: Each is free to spend within his or her individual budget, without any financial obligations imposed by others.

How it came about: The origin of the phrase “go Dutch” can be traced back to a time when England and the Netherlands fought over trade routes and political boundaries during the 17th century. The British used the term “Dutch” in a number of demeaning ways and “Dutch treat”, which means no treat at all. The Dutch left the impression as being very stingy in terms of their wealth, so the British adopted the word “Dutch” informally to imply all sorts of negative behaviors.

How it has evolved: The modern idea, however, does not carry the stigma the phrase originated. Simply put, it has become more of a social jargon and is widely recognised.

Comments: I did not know the British were once so creative with insults. That expression alone does not sound rude to me. But if someone were to replace the expression with my country instead, I will be very proud. So, “Go Singapore!”

Pull One’s Socks Up

Original meaning: To start working or studying harder.

Comments: It is again interesting to note that this is another British-used expressions. The British really are a creative lot when it comes to their native language huh? I guess that is why there are longer/bigger sized socks there. What will you do if someone asks you to pull your socks up? Though I do hear this phrase even in Singapore, an Asian country, people here usually don’t wear socks all the time. I guess it’s due to the weather here. Too humid. Still, Singapore was once a British colony, remember?

Turn a Blind Eye

Original meaning: To refuse to acknowledge something you know to be real.

How it came about: Admiral Horatio Nelson is supposed to have said this when wilfully disobeying a signal to withdraw during a naval engagement. In 1801, he led the attack of a British fleet against another enemy. The fleet of the day was commanded by Admiral Sir Hyde Parker. The two men had disgreed on the strategies employed and Nelson was convinced he would win. That’s when he turned a blind eye.

Clarke and M’Arthur printed what they claimed to be a Nelson’s actual words at the time:[Putting the glass to his blind eye] “You know, Foley, I have only one eye – and I have a right to be blind sometimes… I really do not see the signal.”

How it evolved: The first recorded use of the phrase were reprinted in 1935 in More letters from Martha Wilmot: impressions of Vienna, 1819-1829. “turn a blind eye and a deaf ear every now and then, and we get on marvellously well.”

Comments: You don’t literally turn a blind eye when your eyes are working perfectly well. That brings us to the next expression.

In the Blink of an Eye

Original meaning: Something happens fast and sometimes without notice. Can be used to refer to how fast time passes.

Comments: Another eye-related experience. Seeing is believing isn’t it? It is understood why this expression is used. It actually makes sense when things disappear in front of you when you blink your eyes. So, don’t lose your precious things. Don’t lose precious time. Don’t blink your eye.

The Birds and the Bees

Original meaning: It is a phrase used to explain the topics on sex and reproduction to children and teenagers.

How it came about: While the phrase is getting more and more ubiquitous, it is still uncertain how it came about. From time to time, there were works and quotations that seemed to allude “birds” and “bees” to the sensitive topics. Perhaps “birds” and “bees” are used as children are attracted to them easily.

One of the sometimes referenced work in making the link between birds and bees and human sexuality is Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem Work without Hope, published in 1825.

All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair -
The bees are stirring – birds are on the wing -
And Winter, slumbering in the open air,
Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring!
And I, the while, the sole unbusy thing,
Nor honey make, nor pair, nor build, nor sing.

Another commonly cited source is Cole Porter’s lyrics in the song Let’s Do It, 1928. 

When the little bluebird
Who has never said a word
Starts to sing Spring
When the little bluebell
At the bottom of the dell
Starts to ring Ding dong Ding dong
When the little blue clerk
In the middle of his work
Starts a tune to the moon up above
It is nature that is all
Simply telling us to fall in love

And that’s why birds do it, bees do it
Even educated fleas do it
Let’s do it, let’s fall in love

Till now, there is no exact explanation for how the birds and the bees refer to sex education to children.

Comments: I don’t think it’s for long before you start to hear something like this: “Honey, let’s have the birds and the bees on bed! Let me show you how. But do pay attention to the lesson ok?”