Moo was under the weather when I shot her. Who woulda thunk it?
xox
These all look the same, don't they? I'll work on that...
Thursday, June 19, 2008
My Oh My...
...she's growing up.
Moo was under the weather when I shot her. Who woulda thunk it?
xox
These all look the same, don't they? I'll work on that...
Moo was under the weather when I shot her. Who woulda thunk it?
xox
These all look the same, don't they? I'll work on that...
Monday, June 16, 2008
Corn Kid
Doodle is a cook in the making. She rushed out to help us shuck the corn and helped herself to a little appetizer.
xox
xox
Monday, May 26, 2008
No Longer RAW
It took me a while, but I now know how to work on RAW images and then convert them to share. Months ago I promised to post some pictures I took of the Woods and Marina in Seattle. Here are a few and a bonus shot of Doodle.
xox
This is Marina getting a Free Hug from a lovable bloke at Pike Place Market.
xox
This is Marina getting a Free Hug from a lovable bloke at Pike Place Market.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
GSD'ville
Last week I spent some time with Ally, Tom, and Graham in the 'ville. It was so great. Tom invited me down for a silent auction/party at Sandbox in the city and we all had such a good time. If we ever get the one-armed pictures from the super sales man, I'll post them - they should be classic.
The next day I was able to spend a little qt with g-man. He was a peach, the perfect subject: happy, mellow, sweet, and saucy. We had a photo shoot before nap time...I'll put more up on facebook. Isn't he a nugget?
xox
The next day I was able to spend a little qt with g-man. He was a peach, the perfect subject: happy, mellow, sweet, and saucy. We had a photo shoot before nap time...I'll put more up on facebook. Isn't he a nugget?
xox
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Why are we so sick?
Everyone must watch this. I wonder if any of our candidates have?
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/
From the Frontline website:
In Sick Around the World, FRONTLINE teams up with veteran Washington Post foreign correspondent T.R. Reid to find out how five other capitalist democracies -- the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerland -- deliver health care, and what the United States might learn from their successes and their failures.
Reid's first stop is the U.K., where the government-run National Health Service (NHS) is funded through taxes. "Every single person who's born in the U.K. will use the NHS," says Whittington Hospital CEO David Sloman, "and none of them will be presented a bill at any point during that time." Often dismissed in America as "socialized medicine," the NHS is now trying some free-market tactics like "pay-for-performance," where doctors are paid more if they get good results controlling chronic diseases like diabetes. And now patients can choose where they go for medical procedures, forcing hospitals to compete head to head.
While such initiatives have helped reduce waiting times for elective surgeries, Times of London health editor Nigel Hawkes thinks the NHS hasn't made enough progress. "We're now in a world in which people are much more demanding, and I think that the NHS is not very effective at delivering in that modern, market-orientated world."
Reid reports next from Japan, which boasts the second largest economy and the best health statistics in the world. The Japanese go to the doctor three times as often as Americans, have more than twice as many MRI scans, use more drugs, and spend more days in the hospital. Yet Japan spends about half as much on health care per capita as the United States.
One secret to Japan's success? By law, everyone must buy health insurance -- either through an employer or a community plan -- and, unlike in the U.S., insurers cannot turn down a patient for a pre-existing illness, nor are they allowed to make a profit.
Reid's journey then takes him to Germany, the country that invented the concept of a national health care system. For its 80 million people, Germany offers universal health care, including medical, dental, mental health, homeopathy and spa treatment. Professor Karl Lauterbach, a member of the German parliament, describes it as "a system where the rich pay for the poor and where the ill are covered by the healthy." As they do in Japan, medical providers must charge standard prices. This keeps costs down, but it also means physicians in Germany earn between half and two-thirds as much as their U.S. counterparts.
In the 1990s, Taiwan researched many health care systems before settling on one where the government collects the money and pays providers. But the delivery of health care is left to the market. Every person in Taiwan has a "smart card" containing all of his or her relevant health information, and bills are paid automatically. But the Taiwanese are spending too little to sustain their health care system, according to Princeton's Tsung-mei Cheng, who advised the Taiwanese government. "As we speak, the government is borrowing from banks to pay what there isn't enough to pay the providers," she told FRONTLINE.
Reid's last stop is Switzerland, a country which, like Taiwan, set out to reform a system that did not cover all its citizens. In 1994, a national referendum approved a law called LAMal ("the sickness"), which set up a universal health care system that, among other things, restricted insurance companies from making a profit on basic medical care. The Swiss example shows health care reform is possible, even in a highly capitalist country with powerful insurance and pharmaceutical companies.
Today, Swiss politicians from the right and left enthusiastically support universal health care. "Everybody has a right to health care," says Pascal Couchepin, the current president of Switzerland. "It is a profound need for people to be sure that if they are struck by destiny ... they can have a good health system."
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/
From the Frontline website:
In Sick Around the World, FRONTLINE teams up with veteran Washington Post foreign correspondent T.R. Reid to find out how five other capitalist democracies -- the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerland -- deliver health care, and what the United States might learn from their successes and their failures.
Reid's first stop is the U.K., where the government-run National Health Service (NHS) is funded through taxes. "Every single person who's born in the U.K. will use the NHS," says Whittington Hospital CEO David Sloman, "and none of them will be presented a bill at any point during that time." Often dismissed in America as "socialized medicine," the NHS is now trying some free-market tactics like "pay-for-performance," where doctors are paid more if they get good results controlling chronic diseases like diabetes. And now patients can choose where they go for medical procedures, forcing hospitals to compete head to head.
While such initiatives have helped reduce waiting times for elective surgeries, Times of London health editor Nigel Hawkes thinks the NHS hasn't made enough progress. "We're now in a world in which people are much more demanding, and I think that the NHS is not very effective at delivering in that modern, market-orientated world."
Reid reports next from Japan, which boasts the second largest economy and the best health statistics in the world. The Japanese go to the doctor three times as often as Americans, have more than twice as many MRI scans, use more drugs, and spend more days in the hospital. Yet Japan spends about half as much on health care per capita as the United States.
One secret to Japan's success? By law, everyone must buy health insurance -- either through an employer or a community plan -- and, unlike in the U.S., insurers cannot turn down a patient for a pre-existing illness, nor are they allowed to make a profit.
Reid's journey then takes him to Germany, the country that invented the concept of a national health care system. For its 80 million people, Germany offers universal health care, including medical, dental, mental health, homeopathy and spa treatment. Professor Karl Lauterbach, a member of the German parliament, describes it as "a system where the rich pay for the poor and where the ill are covered by the healthy." As they do in Japan, medical providers must charge standard prices. This keeps costs down, but it also means physicians in Germany earn between half and two-thirds as much as their U.S. counterparts.
In the 1990s, Taiwan researched many health care systems before settling on one where the government collects the money and pays providers. But the delivery of health care is left to the market. Every person in Taiwan has a "smart card" containing all of his or her relevant health information, and bills are paid automatically. But the Taiwanese are spending too little to sustain their health care system, according to Princeton's Tsung-mei Cheng, who advised the Taiwanese government. "As we speak, the government is borrowing from banks to pay what there isn't enough to pay the providers," she told FRONTLINE.
Reid's last stop is Switzerland, a country which, like Taiwan, set out to reform a system that did not cover all its citizens. In 1994, a national referendum approved a law called LAMal ("the sickness"), which set up a universal health care system that, among other things, restricted insurance companies from making a profit on basic medical care. The Swiss example shows health care reform is possible, even in a highly capitalist country with powerful insurance and pharmaceutical companies.
Today, Swiss politicians from the right and left enthusiastically support universal health care. "Everybody has a right to health care," says Pascal Couchepin, the current president of Switzerland. "It is a profound need for people to be sure that if they are struck by destiny ... they can have a good health system."
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Speaking in Tongues
Doodle doesn't do a whole heck of a lot of talking yet. She can communicate for sure: "huh?", "mo mo" ("more," usually accompanied by sign language), "yum yum" (food, milk, or her dummie), and of course, "ma ma" and "da da." We spent some time working on "tee tee" (me), but I am not sure we got too far.
She does a great job speaking in tongues (and drool), though. All weekend long, her tongue was hanging out of her mouth. It was hard to get a shot of her without it making an appearance. Cute though, eh?
xox
xox
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The Moo Turns Four!
Today is Miss Moo's fourth birthday. It is so hard to believe what a big girl she's become. Smart, funny as hell, spirited, spunky, a little bit batty, and a lotta bit cheeky - she's the best. She gives hugs and kisses with generosity and is very tuned in to the feelings of the people around her. There was a time she could tell I was sad and she came to me, put her hand on my shoulder, looked me in the eyes, and said (starting off with a sigh) "Oh, Auntie, everything will be ok." She meant it.
When you ask her how she is she says "I am very well, thank you." Even Emma Willard girls don't have such command of the English language. It is funny to hear a four year old say "well," but she does...every time.
She is a singer. When we skype she sings me songs - looooong songs - about everything and nothing, just on and on, singing about nice alligators and rainbows. I am trying to figure out how to record them so I can share them with the world - the world would love her songs.
She's a great little niece, growing into a neat little lady. On her way to school and learning more and more.
I love watching her, being with her. She (and her sister, of course) makes stress melt away (I am their aunt, not their mother!), makes me realize what's important in life.
I made a "Moo"vie. Here's a chance for you all to see a little bit of her first four years.
xox
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