The "Stuck on Stupid" Toledo Dictionary #9

 
Once again, we find that there are additional words that must be added to the "Stuck on Stupid" Dictionary of Toledo. These particular entries provide me absolutely no joy, but intellectual honesty requires that I do so. (Please no cracks about the intellectual remark.)  

Stupidity:
1. Doing the same thing over and over again, knowing that you are going to get caught at it and that getting caught will cause further problems for you, and doing it anyway. 2. Locking your dog in the car for the 4th time, and expecting to get away with it.  

Cowardice:
1.Being an organization responsible for the safety of animals and refusing to do so when the offense is being committed by the Mayor. (Shame on you Humane Society)

The "Downstream" Media

I heard a comment while listening to the fringe media recently. (Dennis Miller's right leanings cannot help force his radio show to be considered part of that fringe these days.) The comment made had to do with a term that gets a lot of use these days in every form of media, perhaps because it delineates part of it. It was the term "Mainstream Media".  

For those who you who have been stranded on a desert island for the last few years with a very thin man strangely reminiscent of Tom Hanks, the Mainstream Media consists of Network television, most cable news networks, and the greater share of the newspapers and magazines in the world. These self-defined arbiters of fact and truth have lost a bit of focus in their mission of late and a good bit of their reputation in the process. 

More and more, they seem to supply these facts and truths "from a particular point of view". Like Obi-wan Kenobi (from Episode VI for the Star Wars geeks out there), they feel that it is OK to filter this truth if such filtering serves the common good (as of course, they define it). 

Unfortunately, this is not the job of a journalist or a news program, but that of the commentator or editor. In fact the current level of filtering leads more to editorializing than it does to actual news in the media today. It would be both easy and accurate to say that the claims of an unbiased media have long since left the building with Elvis.  

Both sides have their own filtering agents of course. The right or conservative point of view has Fox News Network, talk radio, and the occasional rabid independent newspaper owner (fewer of those every day though). The left or liberal point of view has every other news outlet on the planet. The Mainstream Media liberal bias is now all but an accepted fact (you know, like Global Warming). Those with a different point of view are left to do a bit of filtering of our own, picking out the occasional kernels of truth and seeds of fact among that which they scatter in the dirt like chicken feed. 

Pecking away in our attempts to reach the truth, we are often forced to ingest more than a little unpalatable material in the process. Swallowing sometimes painfully the inedible bulk of what we are given, we must take what sustenance we can from what we can glean in the process and let the rest 'pass on through'. 

There is little excuse for the abuse of journalistic principles that were once held sacred, and no apology for what passes for it these days. In fact, it is considered the right of those in control of information dissemination to do so, as they alone have the proper perspective on the path of history and the required vision for the future.  

And so we come to comment that triggered this post and its point (I know, it's about time). Instead of the term Mainstream Media, the comment by the caller was that we should use the term "Downstream Media" to describe the media's current offerings. 

The frame of reference for this is one that many of us understand from our younger days. It was OK to wander the woods and make your way down to the stream to play back then. It was likewise OK to wade in that stream or even drink from it (yeah, I'm actually old enough to remember that). This would not be the case however, if you knew that you were downstream of a evil corporation pouring sewage into that same bit of water. Avoidance was then the order of the day. The smell or the smallest taste would quickly convince you that this was something that you wanted to stay as far as possible from if it didn't make you sick.  

So too with the media today. The smell from the decay of their dying ideals permeates the atmosphere around the stream of information that they attempt to tell us is news. The taste of their editorializing is bitter indeed as we are assaulted with facts and viewpoints carefully chosen for how they can influence our opinions and decisions. The sight of the nonsense that passes for news seems to get uglier every day, as the pundits paint their pictures for our edification.  

Careful filtering indeed is required if we choose to sample any part of this stream of data. Those who choose to sample, do so at their own risk and need to be aware that the water has probably been polluted by the run off of the Downstream Media. 

(I know that this probably should have been called the Upstream media instead fof the sake of scientific accuracy, but the positive implication of the term Upstream does not fit the message being attempted. Downstream, while not entirely accurate, does. I apologize for the minor logical discrepancy.)

 

The "Stuck On Stupid" Toledo Dictionary #8

Recent city press releases are forcing additional entries into the "SOS" Dictionary. For those who have not seen previous entries (I encourage you to go back and look them up under the label 'dictionary'), these are words or terms which carry one meaning in regular conversational use, but seem to have come to mean something entirely different when applied by the City of Toledo. Since this dual usage can become a bit disconcerting to those not familiar with the city (and more so to those who are), this dictionary is being compiled to provide a guide in the hopes of reducing the the confusion and consternation caused by this abuse of the English language.  

Fiscal Responsibility:  
1. A term which appears to have nothing to do with the way the City of Toledo operates its budgetary process.  
2. The philosophy behind a plan to lay off 15 to 25 city workers with real responsibilities in the city (like repairing the streets) due to a budget shortfall, while hiring another political drone to write speeches for a college educated Mayor, in an attempt to make him sound somewhat less illiterate. 

Mathematics:  
1. A system of science used to calculate numbers using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to reach an answer.
 2. Something which the City of Toledo seems incapable of using when it comes to it's own budget, as proved by the constant level of surprise its officials show when presented with the results of those calculations.  

Law of Diminishing Returns:  
1. Continuing to do the same thing over and over again, producing a smaller result each time.  
2. The profits achieved as a result of the concert series that the city is having held at the Erie Street Market.

Suffering Through Health Care

As many of them do these days, the idea for this posting came from an article I read in the Toledo Blade. This one, dated August 24th, talked about how the doctor-patient relationship is suffering in modern medical care; and why this is the fault of the insurance companies and a litigious society. 

I might be willing to give them some slack on the concept of medical lawsuits, as the only profession committing more a more egregious abuse of power than the doctors is lawyers. As for the rest, I have a few things to say on the subject. (Big surprise, huh?) 

Doctors tell us that they don't like being second guessed by the insurance companies. I can tell you that many likewise don't like questions from the patient or the family of the patient either. Society's recent creation of individuals who live for self-esteem has produced a group of doctors of almost unparalleled arrogance. If you question the tests being run, the number of prescriptions being written, or the standard of health being used as a guideline you are labeled as misguided, uninformed, or simply stupid. 

How dare anyone question the mighty medical professional in the performance of their duties! While we are on the subject of tests and prescriptions, does anyone believe that the never-ending gobstopper of tests being performed on each and every patient these days is contributing to the spiraling costs of medical care? 

Before any doctor will venture a guess about treatment, they ask for more tests than the combined number of exams that they took during medical school. This has us paying not only the hospital costs for the tests themselves, but the lab costs to process results from the bodily fluids and pictures taken and the follow up doctor's visits to discuss these endless reports. 

And what is done with the results of all of this modern scientific testing? The physician inevitably treats the test results instead of the patient. The goal becomes an experiment to produce a certifiably healthy person through the achievement of pre-approved test values. If the tests don't produce the desired result, change the parameters of the experiment through a different combination of chemicals, and retest. 

Lost however in this example of modern scientific medicine is the quality of life of the lab rat (I mean patient) who must submit to such endless experimentation without complaint or question. Let's not take out the profit motive either. What happens to the doctor-patient relationship when the person we normally deal with is not our doctor? We now rarely see those professionals, as a great deal of the work is done by nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician's assistants. 

All of these folks may have our best interest at heart, but let's be honest enough to say that it also facilitates the ability of a medical practitioner to run many more bodies through a version of assembly line medicine. Every caregiver does their part while moving the patient down the line, with the doctor doing periodic quality checks and consultation. While I would like to say that this helps provide greater care, I suspect that it might have more to do with producing better cost efficiencies and a greater revenue to patient ratio. 

Now in fairness to practitioners of the medical profession, they are not the only people exhibiting greed in this industry. Insurance companies are corporations, and as such operate on the profit motive. They do everything that they can to deliver less for the premiums paid in order to maximize their own profits. The relative health of those paying the premiums means no more to them than the people buying gas mean to Exxon. Pharmaceutical companies follow a similar corporate path, with the additional questionable practice of enlisting doctors into their misbehavior. Free samples, medical conferences in exotic locales, and experimental research sponsorships all skate a fine line (and often cross it) in the relationship between doctors and patients. 

And what shining example do these corporations have model themselves on, why the Federal Government. This model of management efficiency, limited bureaucracy, and fiscal responsibility all but insures that abuse of the system (and the patient) will be the order of the day.  

As for the lawyers, they are just the scavenging bottom feeders of the process. Taking a depersonalized system and the mistakes that are bound to occur with "assembly line" medicine, they simply try and turn any of the quality control issues into a winning lottery ticket. 

Oh there are real wrongs to be righted and evildoers to be brought to justice, but I fear that more often than not these situations would be better brought before "Judge Judy" than a jury or our peers who see no wrong in multi-million dollar settlements for pain and suffering. Doing so might allow a bit of common sense to intrude into the process and would certainly reduce the cost of malpractice insurance, and as such, on medical care itself. 

But listen, if the medical profession thinks that it's difficult to deal with insurance companies while trying to do the best job that they can for their patients, if they think that the paperwork and regulations are constricting and overwhelming now, if they think that they have seen what life can be like when dealing with an unfeeling and uncaring bureaucracy; just wait and see what happens if we get "National Health Care" and the government takes over. 

All of this discussion of the current state of medicine is making me feel a little woozy. I think that I'm going to go lie down.

 

Quote of the Day

"Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death."  

The Oath of the knight from the movie"Kingdom of Heaven" Sometime the words of even the most humble of movies provides inspiration and makes us understand what those who have real talent can do with them (unlike me).

 

On The Road Again ...

The only thing consistent in life is change ...

The people who pay me for the things that I do when not indulging in the dirty little habit of writing this blog have determined that my life is far too boring and needs some excitement. Having assessed my talents and abilities, they have become convinced that I am full of natural fertilizer (No, I have not been touched by the Mayor. Any abilities that I have are simply that of my Irish progenitors, better known as the "gift of gab".). 

They have therefore determined that I should go back on the road again in a single-handed attempt to save the newspaper industry from itself by re-entering the sales end of the business (and if I can make them a buck or two in the process, it's OK with them). This return to the road after over 4 years of a more structured office existence promises some profound changes in my everyday affairs. (No, not that kind. Jeez, what a dirty mind.)

Now some of you might be asking at this point if this will have any effect on my blogging. (Why this should be the question uppermost in your mind is your problem.) While it will certainly put me at a certain level of disconnect from the everyday goings on in Toledo, I am sure that can get anything I need to know just by reading blogs. (and listening to a podcast or two right?) 

On the bright side, I may find that the travel helps to broaden my perspective rather than my backside (and the travel points don't stink either). What I don't expect however, is that this new challenge will force me to set aside the time I normally do for writing. I have too much fun committing social suicide on the Internet to give it up at this point.

Bear with me through this latest transition in life if you will, and I promise that I will do all in my power not disappoint you any more than I already have. (Nothing like setting the bar kinda low, huh?)

The Lighter Side - Update III

This word just in... Wal-Marts in Alabama and Mississippi have completely sold out of Ammunition. Locals have been quoted as saying, "Them Russians may have gotten Georgia, but they ain't gettin' us." Further updates will be made as news becomes available from the scene.

The Russians Are Coming

The Russian Are Coming, but not in the way that you think. We need not fear that Alan Arkin will be leaving a submarine that's run aground to try and figure out a way for he and his pals to escape a small coastal village. Neither are we talking about the "evil empire" of the Reagan days which kept us on the brink of nuclear destruction. No, what we have here is much better organized, better funded, and more dangerous.

The threat that I am talking about is from a group that you have probably never heard of before, the Russian Business Network. 

I know that this group sounds innocuous enough, but in fact the RBN is a multi-faceted cybercrime organization that has generated revenues of up to $150,000,000 in one year through its machinations. Like a modern day cyber-Mafia, they engage in the use of free downloads of bogus anti-spyware or anti-malware programs. These free downloads immediately notify the user of further bogus active threats which can only be corrected by purchasing more extensive versions. (I know, this is a scam and illegal, but hardly justifies my dire warnings, but read on.)

In addition to this fairly straight forward scam, this group is singled out as one of the worst at hosting sites participating in spamming, child pornography, and other cyber crimes. Providing secure web hosting for the sites of many of the worst offenders, they provide an environment where such crimes can thrive. Experts at covering their tracks and at hiding their own financial dealings, this group operates all but anonymously except to those in the cyber world. They also act as a "cyber-murder for hire" organization, targeting businesses and even countries by performing "denial of service attacks"; and to go with it, a protection racket selling protection against their own nefarious operations.

Now I know that we are all concerned with the recent situation in Georgia, and the incursion of the Russian military. Any attack on a country attempting to operate under a democracy (and as one of America's few allies) should be of great concern to us. With access to oil revenues that Russia has these days and a resurgence of many of the old hard-liners in positions of power, I fear that we may see even more of this coming. I fear that this may not be the greatest threat that this country presents however. The Russian government has always had a strong relationship with it's own criminal element. It has used that partnership to generate hard currency, perpetrate the government's agenda, and subvert Russia's enemies. It appears that this is the case with the RBN as well. 

Cyber crime is an attack that crosses no borders, and that no distance or geography can protect us from however. It's perpetrators can sit safely behind their own borders and attack us from a position of complete safety. As a consequence, it may present an even greater threat in the long run as society comes to rely on the Internet for more of its every day operation. We need all be on our guard against such an attack on our freedom if our way of life is to survive.

The "Stuck On Stupid" Toledo Dictionary #7

 
It has been a while since any words have been added to the "Stuck On Stupid" Dictionary of words and expressions in Toledo, Ohio, but this is merely the fault of your humble writer. There has been plenty going on, and there are in fact a few entries which need to be added. Here they are:  


Responsibility:  

1. What other city administrators should take when one of the Mayor's schemes blows up in his face.  

Legal Fees:  

1. Something that in the city of Toledo are growing exponentially and which are fast becoming one the largest components of its operating budget.  

Felon:

1. Someone convicted previously of committing a grave crime and therefore considered to be of undesirable reputation. 
2. Someone considered of suitable reputation to handle major city contracts and run high profile events in city owned properties.  

Convenience Store:

1. A small market that is held to be convenient for everyone but the owner.  
2. A Hotbed of crime in the city of Toledo that must be unconstitutionally regulated into either statute violation or bankruptcy.

 

Final Weekend Of Tourist Season

Labor Day weekend is the traditional end of Summer Vacation, and as such the last recognized weekend of Tourist Season. For those of you who have not yet bagged your full quota of Tourists during this year's time frame, it is recommended that you make every effort to do so before the end of the day Monday, September 1, 2008.  


Enforcement of these deadlines is expected to be extremely strict this year, and fines are expected to be heavy for those found in violation of the applicable statutes.  

(Those still in need of the required tags will find them still available at the normal retail outlets.)