MySpace suicide

So, this is the first time I'm going to venture into tabloid territory on this blog. Not that I'm above dipping into gossip territory; I have posted on Kate Brockhouse's blog and anonymously on Buddy TV about Bachelor season 11 related stuff, after all. Mostly, it was because I'd thought Hillary (and later Solisa) had gotten raw deals in their experience with the show, and I felt they deserved a little better. Otherwise, I'm done with the whole thing - that show sucks, creates entertainment out of the misery of others, and really insults my intelligence. Which I hate. And that is all I am ever going to say about this subject.

All of which leads into the real subject of this post, which is the tragic news of Megan Meier's suicide, allegedly aided and abetted by the mother of a former friend, who helped create the fake Myspace profile that may have contributed to Megan's decision to kill herself, more than a year ago. I say that I am heading into tabloid territory because, ultimately, this is a sensationalistic topic. This topic is one that some people might consider on par with news about Britney and Lindsay and (insert celebrity of the moment here) "news". This dis
tracts from more important stuff like the depressing state of affairs in Iraq, the sad state of health care in this country, the raw deal that poor people (in particular) get in this country, the struggle of workers to fight for better working conditions, and the appalling conditions the elderly in some nursing homes have to suffer through because a few private equity investors want to make millions in short-term profit. Among other things.

The point being that there are more important things to blog about, and it feels weird to bring this up. Yet, it is hard not to read that St. Louis Post Dispatch article, and not feel horrified that something like this was allowed to happen, and law enforcement can't do anything about it! It's bad enough when we get bullied by our peers, and let's face it, competition is a fact of life. It's even worse when an adult is involved in the bullying of a teenager, especially one who struggled with her self-image and feelings of self-worth. I don't condone vigilante justice, which is why I haven't blogged about the identities of those involved with the MySpace profile (although that is easily accessible information for those who care to Google). However, I have little sympathy regarding the harrassment that woman is receiving as a result of being outed, either. Still, I feel something should be done, so I will do my part to bring some limited amount of attention to this issue as well.

Rest in peace, Megan. I'm sorry it had to end this way. Believe me when I say that I know exactly how this kind of shit goes down, and I know what it feels like to think that everyone hates you. I hope your family finds some measure of justice, somehow, although without the vigilantism that might seem the natural reaction to this situation.

Updated with link to Bill Moyers' Journal website.

Governor Rendell and the big showdown!

Cool, looks like Governor Ed Rendell (D-PA) is going to make a personal appeal to the state legislature regarding a gun control bill. It just shows how passionate he is about saving lives, and not caving in to the idiot gun lobby. Best of luck, Governor Rendell! I pray for the day when reasonable gun control legislation is signed into law and enforced. Don't take this to mean that I want to outlaw handguns altogether, but I think something has to be done about all the gun murders and woundings that have been happening this year, especially in Philadelphia. And, no, I don't think locking up every poor black man just for being black is the answer either.

Union action by nurses in West Virginia

Just wanted to post a quick update, to highlight this article I found while browsing Alternet. If any nurses from the Kentucky and West Virginia Nurses Associations/United American Nurses are reading this, I just want you to know that I support you in your union action against Appalachian Regional Heath Care, and hope you come to a peaceful solution sooner rather than later.

I support you, not just as a fellow nurse, but also as someone who believes that effective collective bargaining is one of the most effective ways for workers in all industries to negotiate better working conditions for themselves. This is especially true in this era of ever growing trans-national mega corporations, with greater and greater financial resources at their disposal to squelch any such actions. Individuals may not stand a chance against the army of lawyers and politicians arrayed against them by these corporations, but unions have a much better chance of effecting real and lasting change for their members and their members' families.

All that, and I find it distasteful that someone would go and torch someone's car just for helping others speak up for their rights. I hope your insurance covers this damage.

Best of luck to the striking nurses, and a big raspberry to whoever would stoop as low as to set someone's car on fire over this.

I love Children International!

To be more specific, I love that they keep me in touch with Vhera, my sponsored child. I just got a letter from her, the presence of which makes me even happier because she's still writing to me despite me not having answered her the last couple of times. (This time, Vhera, I promise to write back!) Seems like school is very much at the top of her mind now (last time, it was the family business of being small time entrepreneurs and selling sodas). She is now in the third year of high school, and goes there from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM from Monday through Friday. Now, that is a lot of learning!

God bless you back, Vhera. You and your family, who struggle hard to keep out of the mire of destitution that has swallowed many others in your socioeconomic situation. I've never met you, but I love you anyway. If I ever have children of my own*, I hope they are as cute and nice and lovable as you are. And I say that with absolute sincerity, knowing that it makes me sound very gay indeed :P. Not that I care what anyone thinks about me, anyway.

So, Children International is a very cool organization because of the above, and I urge anyone reading this to check them out!

*This statement is somewhat like putting the cart before the horse. First, I need to find myself a woman. I kind of want to give up, but I guess I won't just yet.

A couple of new links

Longer update tonight, because I actually have something to say today :)! Got through a group presentation in front of the palliative care case study class this evening, and all three of us did reasonably well, especially Katie and Rebecca. I hate public speaking as a rule, but I knew just enough about the subject (from my own personal experience with loss and bereavement), to wing it, and not feel too much of a fool up in front of the class.

Anyway, just wanted to call attention to two other links I've added to the Activism column on the left side of the blog page. One, is the United Hollywood blog, which is being maintained by members of the Writers' Guild of America (WGA), who are on strike. For those who are not familiar wit their beef, the WGA is protesting the fact that many of them get paid peanuts to write scripts for television shows (like Heroes, 24, Prison Break, and, yes, the Daily Show and Jay Leno) and movies, and don't get paid at all for DVD and digital distribution sales (like on iTunes, Netflix, and through broadband streaming off the show websites, e.g., www.nbc.com/heroes). If it weren't for the fact that the term "sweatshop conditions" should be reserved for the very real problem of people, for example in Saipan, working for much less than minimum wage in slave conditions, I would be calling what the writers were putting up with "sweatshop conditions". Update: In fact, it isn't even close, and wouldn't be a fair comparison. Just wanted to make that clear. The writers are still getting screwed over, monetary wise, and that's still bullshit.

The other link is to Children International, which is an organization I have supported for about three years now. Nothing quite gives me a warm inner glow like getting a letter from the child I have been sponsoring, thanking me for helping her and her family, well not exactly escape poverty completely, but at least keeping them from being completely destitute. Best of luck, Vhera!

One last thing before I sign off for the night. I'm starting to clear out my collection of Facebook links, because it's starting to get unwieldy, and I'm thinking about leaving Facebook anyway. I found this link to a video, called "Killing Us Softly 3", which is a lecture about the effect that advertising has on American women's self-image. Very interesting, and somewhat disturbing, in view of how pervasive advertising is in our very environment. It's a couple of years old, but still just as relevant today. Any female visitors to this blog, please take notes.

Back to work, real soon hopefully

Short update today, got to get some reading done before bed. Feeling a lot happier now that I finally have my sense of purpose back - I am now officially a Bayada Nurse. This is going to be my first home care job; as soon as I call the nursing supervisors (maybe tomorrow morning) and see if they have anybody to assign me, I will get a better sense of how things operate.

I am praying this whole thing goes well, and I am praying that I truly prove myself worthy of doing this kind of work. As with all things that I truly care about, I will put forth 100% effort, and strive to maintain the highest level of professionalism.

Perhaps, I may blog about work here from time to time. No private information will be disclosed here about any clients, and no one's name will be posted. I will follow HIPAA rules to the best of my abilities (rules summary here), but if anyone objects to any future postings, feel free to message me and I will remove the offending posting as soon as I can.

Okay, enough for now. Sorry about the lack of updates; I guess I should change the name to something like "Brother J, what do you have to say this week?". However, that wouldn't sound as good because it just doesn't rhyme. Oh well, maybe when more interesting, or important, stuff happens that warrants blogging, I will publish it here.

Take care. Be good to yourself and to each other.

Taking a breather

Not much to say today. I know I promised impressions of the event on Friday with the Governor of Pennsylvania, but I've been so busy lately that I just don't have time. Damned paper was harder to finish than I thought it would be. Still, I rather enjoyed writing it, after the fact; I learned quite a lot about coping skills, spirituality in older adults, and sexuality of older adults, including some stuff that would make a layperson blush. Soon I'll go back and edit into a second draft, but for now, time to waste some more time.

Good news: Bayada Nurses contacted me a couple of days ago about joining their ranks. I just have to do the paperwork, attend orientation, pass the med calculation exam, and hope like hell they still like me afterwards. Sure, I won't be making as much as I was before, but then again, I'm not going to be working full time, either. With any luck, I'll get this job, and I'll finally start living my dream of doing home care.

Anyway, not too many worries about money on my end. Sure, Bayada is offering per diem work, but with the demand for home care nurses at the level that it is, I don't think I will be having too many dry spells. Also, I've started tutoring again, this time independently, and having a blast. Worse comes to worst, I still have my other license to fall back on.

Oh yes, Michael Moore's SiCKO comes out on DVD this coming Tuesday (November 6). If you haven't seen it yet, you really should. Yeah, I know it's Michael Moore, the d00d that right-wingers love to hate because he "exaggerates" so much, and is a "big, fat, stupid white man". Still, even if he does exaggerate for effect, and some of the details could have used a little more vetting, the larger message - that our health care setup is broken, and serves the very few rich at the expense of the many who aren't rich - is still valid.

Sorta Good Friday

Just got done with installing Leopard. Works great, only problem was the first install didn't take, so I ended up doing the archive and install option. Note to any who are thinking to upgrade their Macs: do not use the default upgrade option. Click on the button labeled "options" when it comes time, and choose to archive and install instead. Don't worry too much if you forgot to back up your hard drive beforehand, like I did; archive and install leaves everything the way you had it before.

So, does Leopard r0x0r? Yes, in small but subtle ways. Let's just say Spaces, Stacks, and the new graphics really do make a difference. I haven't tried Coverflow, Quick Look, or Time Machine yet, but I think they'll be alright. At any rate, this should be enough for now; I doubt I'll be going through this experience again any time soon. Next time, in like 10 years, I'll just get a new Mac.

Oh yeah, before I forget ... very interesting forum we had with Governor Rendell and Rose Marie Greco at the WHYY studios. They were kind enough to go over time to accommodate all of our questions; good thing too, for I was the last one out of maybe 10-12 questioners to ask his question. I didn't exactly rock the house, and please don't laugh too hard if you see me on television, but at least I got the point across. Ms. Greco, in particular, took it very seriously, and gave a great, in-depth answer, which I will post tomorrow, after I get some sleep and listen to my recording. The Governor was great too, and put up with the time overrun with equanimity, answering the questions sincerely and thoroughly.

Enough from me. Time for sleep.

School and advocacy

Today, I'm happy because I feel like I've actually accomplished something today. At least, I broke away from the depression enough to actually go outside. Of course, I also had class (Advanced Illness, Death, and Dying) in the evening too. It was a good class, too. It was all about cultural considerations, decision making process, and the nature of pediatric care in hospice and palliative care. There was a pretty good discussion going on too, as there usually is. Maybe I'll go for that palliative care minor after all.

God knows I really miss that aspect of nursing. I love speaking with patients and just listening to them. Sometimes, I'd get thanked just for being there and listening, which always touched me; just doing what comes naturally to me can actually make a person feel better, and even help with recovery! One time, I sat with a lady for about 20 minutes - this was at night, when I actually had more time - explaining what hospice care and palliative care entailed, and answering her questions about it. It was easier, since her husband had passed away under hospice care, so she was ready to talk about the possibility of trying it herself. She had inoperable, rapidly metastasizing cancer at that point, and was having a fair amount of pain from it; she knew she was dying and was more worried about being a burden on her family at that point. It was a good conversation, and afterwards I felt really good about accomplishing something that really helped someone out on a deeper level. That high lasted the rest of the shift, too.

On a different note, still no luck with finding that part-time nursing job yet, but I'm in no rush. Soon, I'm going to be immersed in doing research both for the paper due next Thursday and for the question and answer session Governor Rendell will be holding after his speech on health care reform tomorrow evening. I will, of course, bring up my pet cause. Hopefully, Governor Rendell provides good answers, and maybe we can start the ball rolling on nursing home reform (fingers crossed). With any luck, I'll be too busy to be depressed.

Heh, it's been too long.

Oh well, I guess I really haven't been keeping up with this blog. Actually having way too much fun playing around with my Facebook profile - in fact, I've kind of been treating the updates as a form of micro-blogging. Total time-waster, and way too much fun; looks like I'll have to exile myself from there for a little while until I catch up on the schoolwork.

Anyway, I've been busy with school and trying to find myself a part-time job. I'm surprised to say that I miss working. Time was, when I still working as a pharmacist, that was just something I did, and I could just go home afterwards, unless I was on-call that night which meant I couldn't completely switch off. These days as a nurse, well, it's a pretty big part of my identity now, and I feel like I've lost a huge chunk of it since I left the old job. Nursing has always been more than just a job for me, but an extension of who I really am; in other words, I got to express my true self, within professional limits, in the course of providing patient care. I love the feeling of satisfaction of doing the job well and feeling like I actually made a difference in someone's life. (Conversely, I'd feel like a failure when things didn't go as well. Not every day can be good.) Oh well, if the job search doesn't go well, I guess I can always negotiate my old job back, and hopefully they'll actually let me work part-time.

I've been busy getting some work done on a patient advocacy campaign I've been working on, on the side. Basically, I've been trying to spread awareness about abuses of elderly residents of nursing homes taken over by private equity firms, which then make millions in short-term profit for themselves and their investors by cutting nursing staff and supplies budgets. What that translates into is a major safety issue, as there are now not enough staff to monitor certain residents who need more care, thus increasing the risk for falls, broken bones, pressure ulcers, and general declines in health. Not to mention stressing the hell out of the staff that are left, thus leading to burn-out and possible loss of temper and abuse. What really gets me, is that these companies avoid being accountable by setting up these complex business arrangements in a way that makes it difficult, if not impossible, to establish who really owns a facility and thus who can be sued when something goes wrong. You can read more about it here.

So basically, since this issue hasn't really been getting the attention it deserves in the media - due in no small part to the focus on SCHIP and the California wildfires and the Iraq Ware, all worthy subjects to focus on, don't get me wrong - I've been trying to get more people to pay attention to it. Hence, the cause I started on Facebook. Kind of embarrassing that I haven't gotten any of my friends to join it, but then again, compared to larger issues like getting out of Iraq in a timely and safe manner, stopping further global warming, and supporting breast cancer research, my cause probably doesn't seem so important.

Still, if anyone is reading this, please read the New York Times article, and see what you feel like afterwards. If you're fired up and feel like doing something, please write to the editors of your local newspapers and to your local, state, and Congressional representatives and urge them to pay attention! If you write to your governmental representatives, ask them to do something about the abuses, tell them to enforce the law and/or create new legislation to bring more transparency and accountability to nursing home management. Nursing home residents will thank you for doing this, if they find out; even if the effort fails, at least we all tried. Just because they're older and institutionalized doesn't mean we get to forget about them and let them be treated as less than human.

Anyway, I've written enough for now. Time to do a little more research; I'm getting ready to bring up certain issues when Governor Rendell visits my "town" on Friday. Hopefully, that too will help the cause. Wish me luck!

Stream of Consciousness

This is who I am:
internet-obsessed, politically incorrect, Michael Moore fan, supporter of Ralph Nader, respecter of Noam Chomsky (most famous modern anarchist), anti-authoritarian, bookworm, nurse, pharmacist, strangest person you are ever likely to meet, bet you can't really figure out how I really tick, forever in love, forever alone. Seriously, I really do defy categorization, and really what is so fun about being pigeonholed into a role that everyone can understand? What wrong with making people think a little, to make them try a little harder to figure you out? Like almost everyone else, I am much more than the sum of my parts (or my past). Take care, and mind your step.

Introitus

Just a sample posting to test out my 1337 bl06 p05t1n6 sklz (not!). Soon, I will migrate my profile over from Facebook, so I will be able to write with impunity. Stupid 1500 character maximum; seriously, I can't even discuss all of the books I like without running out of space! Here, I can do all that; not that anybody is every going to care. Here, I will also ruminate upon life, love, politics (I lean liberal -- fair warning!), what it's like to be a friendless lo- er, I mean mildly autistic American citizen, and whatever else comes to mind. Sit back, relax, and bring your brain along. I like thinking man's stuff, and I aim to make this blog worthy of the best, eventually. Cheers.