R.I.P. Don Jones

Don's Truck

Don Jones was the first neighbor to greet us at the house we now own.  "You thinking to buy?" he asked, with his usual economy of words. He drew on his cigarette and said only, "Good house."
He was right. Don was reliable. When he made an estimate on a project, he stuck with it. Once he was installing some doors in our house and unforseeable factors turned it into a two-day job. He waved off any offer for more money (although he didn't turn down Kris' canned tomatoes; he's a character but he's not crazy.)
Don was a very good neighbor. When someone abandoned a stolen car on our block, he noticed; and his report to the police resulted in the owners getting it back before they themselves noticed it was gone.

Doing what he liked best

I admired Don's initiative with his mobile car repair business. He was going to replace the back-up light switch on my car as soon as I picked up the part. Someone else will drive his truck and eventually live in the house he kept so trim, but noone could replace him.

Don Jones (from FB)

A couple of weeks ago we heard Don had had a heart attack and a stroke. Characteristically, he was working on someone's car at the time. He came home after some time in the hospital, but the aid car was called a couple of days ago and he died the next day in the company of his brother and sister.
Rest well!

Recently On Law & Order: Conception Police!

Crime in Progress:
Attempted Murder of Fertilized Egg!

It was night watch on Friday when we got the call from a patrol car, "Attempted Murder in progress at the corner of Liberty and Bell!"
My partner and I rushed to the scene, followed by the SWAT van. The house on the corner was dark, but with infrared goggles we saw two figures struggling in the den. There were muffled noises, and then a scream of "Oh God!".
We broke down the door to a hellish scene. The perp was a middle-aged man with a receding hairline and a belly the size of a beer keg. He was obscenely naked. The victim of the crime was no where to be seen, but on the couch a woman in a teddy covered her face.
"What are you doing here, coppers?" Fat Gut sneered. "You got nothing."
"Oh yeah?" I shot back, "What do you call this prescription for birth control pills, filled earlier this month in the name of your wife?"
"So? Sex with my wife isn't a crime!"
"Tell that to a jury! Everyone knows life begins at conception, and that the pill keeps a fertilized egg from implanting. Your sex act is going to create a fertilized egg that you know is going to die - you murderous slime ball!"
"That's ridiculous!" he snapped. "You'll never make the charges stick!"
"That's for the prosecutor to decide. Meanwhile, you're coming with us downtown. But first," I waved forward my assistant, the one with the black doctor's bag and the dry-ice container, "We have to impound the murder weapon. Surgeon, do your duty!"
Fat Gut screamed as his weapon was put on ice, and I smiled. Another would-be killer meets pro-life justice!

Pondering the "No Budget" issue ...

All over the internet, I see Republicans angrily demanding Reid present a budget, and it puzzled me why he didn't.

It turns out: it's already been done.

Remember, a budget is not a binding document; it's just a blueprint for spending. The president does not sign it and it is not a federal law. It's just a memo describing how spendings will go, subject to actual appropriations bills.

And guess what! for 2012, the debt-limit agreement in August directs spending for 2012!

Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) has already asked the heads of the subcommittees to write their appropriations bills for fiscal 2013.
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/208593-reid-this-years-budget-is-done

Save Yourself? or Save the World? What is Christianity anyway?

Whether Jesus was presenting a recipe for personal salvation (and to heck with your impact on the rest of the world) or one for right behavior (which necessarily involves caring about your neighbor) is a traditional debate, and arguments may be fairly made on either side. Indeed, it is so balanced that the most reasonable answer is that He was presenting either both or neither, for had He intended either alone, He was quite capable of saying so.
Those who prefer the teachings of Jesus that talk about right living in the world may consider those who emphasize only personal salvation as selfish; after all, given the choice of eternal bliss or aiding your neighbor in a temporal world, it would be irrational not to choose the eternal. However, it is the demanding of such a choice that is the error: salvation and serving your neighbor are not separate things but the same. When asked directly how to achieve Salvation Jesus said it was all in how you treated the least of His People.
If it unlikely that Jesus knew the word “socialism” and certainly there have been some hellish schemes propounded by humans in the name of “socialism”, but Matthew 25:40 is pretty clear.

Neighborcycling - a Change The World Wednesday Discovery (#ctww)

Take my word for it  -
There's a birdbath in there
which was Neighborcycled

We've all heard of recycling, and I've often talked about "freecycling", but my latest discovery is "Neighborcycling" - moving on usable goods, for which we have no current use, to our neighbors.
This is just a normal part of being neighborly but it depends on reaching out and making contact with the people on our block.
A while back, I was asked the lady a couple of doors down something about gardening, and she mentioned her next task was potting a whole lot of plants. I remembered that I had a huge stack of excess red clay pots. A few minutes later, she had pots, I had an empty space, and the landfill had nothing!
One of my favorite neighborcycles involved the birdbath. Our nearest neighbors had decided that theirs didn't really fit into their yard, and set it on the curb for anyone to pick up. That anyone was me. I'd like to say that I was just looking out for the birdies that provide us with so much amusement, but the fact is, been looking for something to set next to the oil intake in our front yard, because I was always running into it when walking barefoot - ouch! The birdbath was the perfect visual cue to step around.
Neighborcycling is nothing fancier that just getting to know your neighbors, talking on a regular basis and sharing your surplus. This has a whole lot of benefits - fun, friendship and neighborhood security - but if it can also help keep things out of the landfill, why not?
I was moved to write about this in response to the latest Change the World Wednesday Challenge:

"Share ideas on how we can keep stuff out of landfills."

I've been doing CTWW for over a year now, and it's fun. Each week, we get a new challenge to try; don't you love a challenge? The fact that it's good for you and good for our future generations is a bonus!

Early 4freeCLE Newsletter - Jan 27, 2012

I was going to wait until Monday for the next issue, but I suddenly learned of a couple of webinars early next week and didn't want anyone to miss them:

4freeCLE: The Free CLE Newsletter! Jan 27, 2012 Top 3 Modes of Presenting Free CLE  Nearly all free Continuing Legal Education programs are delivered in one of three ways:  Webinars/Telecons. These live events maximize convenience of access, and usually allow some limited opportunity for interaction between speaker and audience. On-Demand. These are most often recorded webinars or in-person seminars; interaction with speakers is limited to followup questions. In-Person. The traditional in-person seminar maximizes the opportunity for interaction between speaker and audience, although it is rare for much of the audience to ask a question. Simultaneous webcasting of In-Person events seems to be on the rise.  It is uncommon for event sponsors to seek accreditation in every state, but often attorneys may seek credit for an event by applying to their credit-granting authority. Webinar CLE Jan 31-Feb 1: NACDL Padilla Practice Series. By National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Also In-Person (DC). Credit: Attorneys must apply in own state. Feb 2: Webinar for New Louisiana Lawyers. By DigitalWorkflowCLE. Credit: LA.   Feb 6: Introduction to Fastcase. By Fastcase. Credit: AZ CA DC FL GA IL IA MD MN NV NJ NM OH OK OR SD TN VA WV WI. Feb 8: How the Cleveland Bar Became Segregated: And Why it Matters. By Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Also In-Person (Cleveland).   Feb 16: The Ethical Issues in Mediation. By Clifford Law Offices. Also In-Person (Chicago).  Ethics Credit!   On Demand CLE Why not try one of these right now? Can Content Survive Online? By Intellectual Property Colloquium. Credit: CA NH NY PA WA Catastrophic Loss Cases - How They Are Different. By Trial.com. Credit: AK AZ CA CO FL GA HI KY LA MO ND NJ NY TX UT WA.    Navigating the Immigration Jungle: Immigration Visas. By Lexvid. Credit: Many states.  What Florida Lawyers Need To Know To Comply With the Amendment to Rule 1.7204. By Upchurch Watson White and Max. Credit: FL.      In-Person CLE Unless stated otherwise, credit has been applied for in the state in which the program is located. Jan 31/Tacoma - It's All in the Tax Returns and Financial Statements. By McKinley Irvin.  Jan 31+Feb 1/DC - NACDL Padilla Practice Series. By National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Also available as webinar. Credit: Attorney must apply in own state. Feb 16/Chicago - The Ethical Issues in Mediation. By Clifford Law Offices. Also available as webinar. Ethics Credit! Feb 2/NYC - Counseling the Small Nonprofit Organization. By The Legal Aid Society.   Feb 7/Boston - Introduction to Guardianship of Adults. By Volunteer Lawyers Project.   Feb 7/San Francisco - Affirmative Lawsuits in Housing. By AIDS Legal Referral Panel.  Credit: CA.  Feb 8/Cleveland - A Tour Through the Supreme Court of Ohio's New Citation Rules & Style Guide. By Cleveland-Marshall School of Law.  Feb 8/Cleveland - How the Cleveland Bar Became Segregated: And Why it Matters. By Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Also available as webinar.   Feb 9/Chaska, MN - Digital Device Forensics: Evidence from Mobile Phone and GPS Units May Surprise You! By Carver County Library.  Feb 14/Apple Valley, MN - Closing or Selling a Law Office: What are the Responsibilities?  By Dakota County Law Library. Ethics Credit!   Feb 16/Hastings, MN - Collateral Consequences for Juveniles. By Dakota County Law Library.  Apr 20/DC - Veterans Pro Bono Consortium Training. Credit: Most states. Register Now To Ensure Seating!   Was This Forwarded To You? Get Your Own Subscription For Free!  This is a free newsletter, delivered weekly.  Sign up for future issues for free!

4freeCLE - My free CLE Newsletter - Jan 23, 2012 issue ....

Going out to over 100 subscribers, and cross-posted here on my private blog, something for the lawyers (...although anyone can watch the on-demand programs ... maybe you'll like them!)

4freeCLE: The Free CLE Newsletter! Jan 23, 2012 The Free CLE Revolution Continues! So far in 2012, we've published at least one webinar a week, and four or more on-demand programs. This bodes well for revolutionizing continuing legal education, as well as making it easier for sponsors to get their message out! And remember: just because an event doesn't have your state listed doesn't mean you can't get credit; although it is not a sure thing, I have had good luck applying for credit as an individual. Try it! Webinar CLE Jan 30 - Boolean (Keyword) Search for Lawyers. By Fastcase. Credit: AZ CA DC FL GA IL IA MD MN NV NJ NM OH OK OR SD TN VA WV WI. On-Demand CLE Alternative Fee Arrangements. By Trial.com. Credit: AK AZ CA CO FL GA HI KY LA MO ND NJ NY TX UT WA. Ethics Credit.    Language Access Rights for California Advocates. By Legal Aid Association of California. Credit: CA. Navigating the Immigration Jungle: Immigration Visas. By Lexvid.  The Bilski Oral Argument. By Intellectual Property Colloquium. Credit: CA NH NY PA WA.      Live CLE Jan 25/Cleveland - A Tour Through the Supreme Court of Ohio's New Citation Rules & Style Guide. By Cleveland-Marshall School of Law. Credit: OH.   Jan 25/Stillwater, MN - Minnesota Supreme Court Update on Case Law. By Washington County Law Library. Credit: MN. Jan 26/NYC - Corporate Bankruptcy for Small Businesses in Distress. By The Legal Aid Society. Credit: NY.   Jan 26/Seattle - Saving Endangered Wildlife in Our Warming World. By WSBA Animal Law Section. Credit: WA. Free to Section members. Feb 2/NYC - Counseling the Small Nonprofit Organization. By The Legal Aid Society. Credit: NY.  Feb 7/San Francisco - Affirmative Lawsuits in Housing. By AIDS Legal Referral Panel.  Credit: CA.  Feb 8/Cleveland - A Tour Through the Supreme Court of Ohio's New Citation Rules & Style Guide. By Cleveland-Marshall School of Law. Credit: OH.  Feb 14/Apple Valley, MN - Closing or Selling a Law Office: What are the Responsibilities?  By Dakota County Law Library. Credit: MN. Ethics Credit!  Apr 20/DC - Veterans Pro Bono Consortium Training. Credit: Most states. Register Now To Ensure Seating!   Free CLE Provider Profile:   Lexvid.Com   Lexvid.com is a free, ad-supported, web-based continuing legal education provider whose FAQ states boldly: "By combining quality, convenience and free access, Lexvid aims to become the premiere source for online CLE content." There are currently 50 hours of Lexvid seminars offered free of charge, covering over 20 practice areas. Supplementing the videos are interactive, community-building features such "Discussions" for each event and an "Ask the Lecturer" tab. (How often have you thought of something you wanted to ask a speaker a week or a month later? Now you can!) Lexvid also emails you certificates of completion, maintains a personal "dashboard" logging programs you have completed and provides an easy way to halt programs to deal with interruptions, and then resume days later on nearly any internet device you have handy. In the evolving world of continuing legal education, Lexvid appears to be going all-in! Learn more at http://www.lexvid.com. Was This Forwarded To You? Get Your Own Subscription For Free!  This is a free newsletter, delivered weekly.  Sign up for future issues for free!

Italian Wedding Soup Win!

The Champ!

Kris won the soup contest at Big Al's tonight.
The flavor picked randomly last week was "Italian Wedding Soup." We googled a bunch of recipes and settled on The Barefoot Contessa's as a starting point. The one thing we weren't sure of was its use of ground chicken, which tends to be low in flavor, and chicken sausage, which can introduce flavors we're not sure of. One thing we especially liked is that the meatballs were baked separately, and once they were cooked enough to be safe and to have structural integrity, only then were they added to the broth to start sharing flavors.
The basic recipe (I'll leave out quantities, since your interpretation should depend on the particulars of your ingredients and preferences):
Make the Meatballs:

• Some Ground bison
• Ground Veal
• An egg (we used a home-grown egg from Steve and Sherry - thanks!)
• Parmesan cheese
• A little parsley
• Bread crumbs
• Salt & Pepper

Cook on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 350 F.

Prepare the Broth:

• Chicken broth
• Carrots
• Onions
• Celery
• Dill
• Pasta (we used tiny stars).

Sherry, Steve and Egglaying Girl

Saute the veggies in olive oil for six minutes, then add the broth, dill and pasta. Boil to cook the pasta. Add meatballs and baby spinach.

Serve!

The competition was fierce this week, as each competitor had a slightly different idea and flavor. However when the ballots were all counted, Kris came out ahead and was awarded a beer. A good time was had by all!

Next week: beef and barley. We're planning already!

"Obamacare Saved My Life" she said ...

"... Even though I had paid into their policy since I was practically a kid, now when I needed it, it wasn't there: I was no longer earning enough to be covered. ...."
This true story should melt a heart of stone:

Jennifer Skye writes: 

"When I began working as an actor as a teenager, one of the perks was comprehensive insurance coverage through the Screen Actors Guild. Up until six years ago, I never even needed it.

Then, one day, when I was 26 and living in Los Angeles, I experienced a sharp pain in my right side that lasted for hours. My husband drove me straight to the emergency room.

Turns out there were non-cancerous tumors taking up 60% of my liver.

When they finally did operate, they took a football-sized tumor out of my liver and pronounced the operation a success. I was left to heal from the large incisions.

The scar runs from right under my breastbone to my bellybutton, and across my stomach, and it is not an easy thing for a former Maxim cover girl to hide.

In fact, my whole diagnosis meant I had to retire from acting altogether.

Production companies take out insurance policies on all assets of their production, including their actors. With such a large scar and pre-existing condition, I was virtually uninsurable, even in the glamorous, fake world of Hollywood.

Acting was a career I had worked hard at since I was 15, but after my surgery I was dropped from my Screen Actor's Guild insurance. Even though I had paid into their policy since I was practically a kid, now when I needed it, it wasn't there: I was no longer earning enough to be covered.

Luckily, I was able to transfer to my husband's insurance. Then, last year, we separated. Part of our agreement was that he would allow me to continue to be covered by his policy, but, in the process, there was a terrible mistake.

One day I walked into the doctor's office for a routine post-op check up. After my appointment, I was about to leave, when the receptionist called me back to her desk.

"Jennifer? Do you have any new insurance for us to use?"

"No, use the same one," I smiled. "I just had surgery, it should work."

The white-coated woman nodded her head and handed me the phone, with the insurance company on the other end.

That's when I discovered my ex-husband's manager had made an irreversible filing error that resulted in me being kicked off his COBRA retroactively. In other words, my last eight months of treatment -- surgery, medication, MRIs at $19,000 a pop -- had not been covered.

It takes a lot to reduce me to tears, but that day in the doctor's office I was near hysteria.


"Please, I'm sick, I can't lose my insurance," I begged to the insurance lady on the phone.

It was too late, she told me. The decision had been made.

When I applied to Blue Cross, I was promptly denied due to "pre-existing conditions."

By the way, having your chest cut open is not the only way to be determined un-insurable.

Pregnant? That's a pre-existing condition.

Ever seen a therapist and been prescribed antidepressants? You have one, too.

Susceptible to chronic urinary tract infections or kidney stones? You guessed it.

Asthma? Ditto.

In fact, it wasn't until our government passed the health care bill I so often hear referred to -- with a derogatory slur -- as "ObamaCare" that I earned the right to be covered under the new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan.

Now I'm a highly functioning sick girl, and one who's unbelievably grateful to her government for the work Congress and the President did last year, giving me the ability to stay healthy."

Read Jennifer's Entire Story And Remember - This Could Happen To You:
http://www.lemondrop.com/2010/11/02/obamacare-saved-my-life-maxim-cover-girl-speaks-out/