29 Day Giving Challenge - One Week In

It's been a week since I started the 29 Gifts in 29 Days challenge, and its been surprisingly fun.

Everyday I find myself thinking about what I can give, looking for opportunities to help others or do nice things that can be used towards my daily "gift." And usually, instead of giving one gift each day, I end up giving a few gifts.

Some of the things I've done as part of the challenge include sending a friend I haven't seen in a while an e-card, giving friends a ride to the airport, volunteering my time to a RI-based organization called Save the Bay, and volunteering to help out on an extra project at work. One night I made my boyfriend his favorite dish and last night, I gave him a good back massage after a particularly long day.

Part of the challenge is to be able to receive gifts in turn, which is not always easy. For instance, I gave my friends a ride to the airport an hour away, at inconvinient times of the day, and they insisted on paying me for the trouble. I would normally refuse but I took the money, and plan to use it for their Christmas gifts.

And there are little positive things happening here and there that I'd like to believe are related to this challenge. In the past week I won a discount at a "jewlery" party, got a huge discount when I called my local cable company to add additional channels, so I am actually paying $25 less than before but getting much more. These things could be coincidental, but at the very least I recognize these positive things and that, by the Law of Attraction, creates more of the same.

Giving 29 Gifts in 29 Days - Join me!

In the spirit of the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, I just signed up for The Giving Challenge - but not entirely for un-selfish reasons.

I read an article in the November issue of Body + Soul magazine about a woman named Cami Walker who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. In the depths of her debilitating pain and depression, Walker called a friend and spiritual advisor to vent. But instead of letting her wallow in self-pity, the advisor told Walker to stop focusing so much on the disease, to stop feeding it, and do something for others. Her prescription was to give 29 gifts in 29 days.

If I were Walker, I would have been pissed. How does that help me, lady? I can barely get out of bed the pain is so bad, but you want me to give to others? Give me some herbs, some accupuncture, some magic beans, something!

But out of desperation, she tried it, and it changed her life. It forced her to stop focusing on her own misery and within 14 days, she says she was walking without a cane again.

Now, do I think that simply giving to others can heal, can fix all of our problems? If only it were that easy. But I do believe that we create our own reality with our way of thinking, and when we focus on pain and depression, we can only create more of it for ourselves and others. So maybe by focusing on the good things we can do, the gifts we can give, we can attract good things and gifts to ourselves.

So really, giving is selfish - but being selfish in that sense of the word is not a bad thing. If I can improve my life by improving the lives of others in small ways, why not?

And giving gifts does not mean going to the mall and buying something for a friend (though it can). There are lots of ways to give. It can be giving clothes we don't wear to Good Will, putting change in a parking meter for someone you don't know or making someone else feel good with your words.

I am taking this challenge in part because I find myself focusing on my lack of riches far too often, which creates needless stress and frustration in my life. At the same time, I know I am in a better position than so many people, especially in this tough economy; I have a job that I like, a roof over my head, a wonderful man and friends by my side.

But things can always be better, and I hope by committing to give gifts to others each day, good things will come back to me (see, selfish!) To kick things off, I am going to pack a bag of clothes I don't need and give it to good will today.

I plan to document my giving challenge experiences here. I encourage you to sign up and see how it affects your life and the lives of others.

Franken's Anti-Rape Amendment Passes, No Thanks to Republicans

Any reasonable human being would agree that if a woman is gang raped by her co-workers, she should be able to seek some type of recourse.

For Jamie Leigh Jones, it wasn't that simple. Five years ago she was gang-raped by co-workers while working for Halliburton/KBR and stationed in Iraq. According to reports, she was then locked in a shipping container for at least 24 hours without food or water and was warned that if she left Iraq for medical treatment, she would be fired.

Understandably, she wanted to bring her attackers to justice, but the fine print in her employer contract stipulated that she couldn't sue. The contract requires that incidents related to her employment or personal injuries “arising in the workplace" be resolved through Haliburton's dispute resolution program.

Thankfully, the courts ruled that the incident was not related to her employment - as in her job duties - so she can take action against those who attacked her via the justice system.

Following the suit, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN)
proposed an anti-rape amendment that would deny defense contracts for companies that require their employees sign contracts preventing them from suing in cases like this. The amendment passed but received 30 nay votes - all from Republicans.

If you haven't seen this yet, Jon Stewart sums the situation up really well in his Daily Show segment, Rape Nuts.

Everyone should be asking themselves why any of our elected officials would not support a bill that protects victims of gang rape. Are these 30 republicans voting nay on behalf of their constiuents, some of whom may be rape victims themselves, or on behalf of big companies? Is this not a disgusting display of corruption? Has capitalism really become more important than civil rights?

Health insurers dodge expensive medications, care

Since I am lucky enough to have a job that provides me with health insurance, I made an appointment with an allergy doc in hopes of one day living my day to day life without a handful of tissues.

During that appointment earlier today, I was reminded that A. There are much more pressing issues than technology that need to be covered, and B. People think I should be married with kids by now.

Here is how our introductory conversation went;

Me: "Hi Dr. MacMillian. (reach out my hand to shake hers) Nice to meet you.

Dr. "Yes, hi. So, are you married?" (nodding her head yes)

Me: "No."

Dr: "How old are you?"

Me: "30."

Dr: "Have kids?" (she is nodding her head yes, again)

Me: "No."

Dr. "Okay. (disapproving look) So, what do you do?"

Me: "I'm a journalist. I write about technology."

Dr. "Ah. For the Journal?" (Another whammy)

Me: "Um, no, not for the Providence Journal. I write for a technology website; it's all online content. We are based in Massachusetts."

Dr: "Funny you should mention Massachusetts. Listen to this. I just got off the phone with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA), which, I hardly ever call them because I have more important things to do, but this time I did because I needed to get a new medication approved for one of my patients. So, I call, explain what I need and why, and they keep me on hold for ten minutes. Then they come back and say 'sorry, but our pharmacist doesn't approve that medication. He suggests this other one.'

"The nerve. You mean to tell me that your pharmacist, who doesn't know my patient or what they need, is denying my medication choice? Your pharmacists' decision means more than mine? It is infuriating. I mean, every insurer has their own gimmick, but this is scary. They denied a medication that I know is best for my patient."

Me: "That is scary."

Dr. "Yes. See, this is why you should forget writing about this technology crap. These kinds of things go on, and someone needs to write about them."

Me: Nodding yes.

Dr: "OK, so what's been bothering you."

Me: Um, a lot more than a stuffy nose after that conversation...

Besides the disturbing lack of a bedside manner, I actually enjoyed her spit-fire personality. Plus, she has a point - and I don't mean the point that perhaps I should be married with kids by now, you jerk. I mean her point that health insurers in the U.S. dictate patient care, and the system has got to change.

According to BCBSMA's website, their "goal is to provide a high-quality, affordable pharmacy benefit without compromising quality of care. Working closely with doctors, pharmacists, and other experts, we manage our program by asking ourselves: How effective is a particular medication? Which other medications are available to treat the same condition? How does the cost of a particular medication compare to that of similar ones that treat the same condition?"

BCBSMA has a list of medications that have to be pre-authorized before a doctor can prescribe them, as well as a list of medications that are not covered.

If a doc is granted an exception for a non-covered drug, the patient has to pay the highest level co-payment, and if the request is not approved, patients have to cover the full cost of the prescription.

This, of course, drives doctors and patients nuts. Once recent Wall Street Journal health blog entry details a situation where health insurers denied access to a medication because of cost, and it received lots of feedback from commiserating doctors and patients on the related WSJ health forum site.

One WSJ forum respondent, called Plum Nurse, wrote, "When I left practice as a pulmonary nurse specialist for a job as a nurse epidemiologist in public health, my greatest joy was that I would never again spend hours on hold with insurers or managed care companies fighting to give my patients the care they needed. By the end of my time as the nurse managing a specialty clinic at a tertiary medical center, I spent virtually all my time on the phone. Part of it was for actual clinical care - calling patients - but a VERY large part was trying to convince some high school grad sitting in front of a screen of arbitrary rules that yes, my patient really did need the drug that was prescribed..."

Though unfortunate, health care has become more of a business than ever before. I think this forum respondent, dubbed Holy Trinity, sums it up nicely:

"Medicine is no longer a noble profession, it is a business. And as other 'noble professions,' especially law and education, have degraded into businesses, it's become all about the provider, rather than the practitioner."

This is just one of the many problems with America's health insurance system that needs to change.

Our incoming president, Barack Obama, has health insurance on his massive "fix it" list, but who knows if and when any changes in the area of prescription pre-authorization will be made; there are so many other pressing issues to deal with first, like making health insurance available and affordable for everyone.

I don't see anything in Obama's plan that would specifically address prescription pre-authorization hurdles, but there are measures that will help patients get medications at lower cost. For example, Obama wants to let consumers import safe drugs from other countries, which often cost much less.

According to the plan, "Pharmaceutical companies should profit when their research and development results in a groundbreaking new drug. But some companies are exploiting Americans by dramatically overcharging U.S. consumers. These companies are selling the exact same drugs in Europe and Canada but charging Americans a 67 percent premium. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will allow Americans to buy their medicines from other developed countries if the drugs are safe and prices are lower outside the U.S."

If approved, this measure would foster an environment of competition between U.S. and non-U.S. pharmaceutical companies, thus lowering the cost of prescription medications for Americans. Presumably, a side effect of lower drug costs would be that health insurers take the now expensive meds off of their "non-authorized" list and cover the cost.

But, maybe I presume too much; I am sure it isn't that simple.

I do know this, though; with the premiums we pay for health insurance, the medications our doctors prescribe should be covered. Hopefully, one day soon, they will be.

Sweet spots of 2009; stocks, fuel, the economy...it ain't all bad

Last year really sucked; gas prices spun out of control, formerly rock steady businesses collapsed, people were swindled out of their last cent by criminals in expensive suits, and unemployment rates hit staggering highs.

And while many people are still reeling from all of this, there are glimmers of hope ahead; 2008 is behind us (good riddance) and we only have about 90 more hours of a Bush presidency (good riddance). I'm not exactly jumping for joy right now, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

So, in the words of Stuart Smalley (now Senator Al Franken), I'm going to do a terrific blog today! And I'm gonna help people!

1. Up until 2008, generations X and Y only knew a wealthy America; we now know what rock bottom looks like, and there is only one place to go from here. Maybe on the way back up, we will all appreciate the things we have a little bit more. After all, you need the bitter to appreciate the sweet.

2. We now know that if you are in commercial airliner like, oh, say, U.S. Air flight 1549, and the engine fails, death is not necessarily imminent. I never worry about dying during air travel anyway, but from now on I might pay a bit more attention to the flight attendants' safety tips instead of quietly telling him or her to shut the hell up so I can read my book in peace.

3. Many stock prices have fallen so dramatically that those of us who couldn't afford to invest when times were good (i.e. people who shop at T.J. Maxx because paying full price for anything is just plain foolish) can buy stocks at bargain basement prices now.

4. U.S. fixed interest mortgage rates hit a record low of 4.96 percent , so if you were raped by subprime lenders a few years back and are fortunate enough to still have your home, you may be able to refinance, save a bit and afford food once again.

5. We are officially moving out from under the Bush reign of terror. Did I mention we only have to call him Mr. President for another 90 some odd hours?

6. Obama.

I'm sure there are plenty more diamonds in the rough, but that's all I've got for now. Let me know what I've missed.

Buffy the inbred cocker spaniel; a cautionary tale

From the ages of about nine through 13, my Christmas list consisted of one thing; a cocker spaniel puppy. In the weeks leading up to Christmas I would daydream about waking up on Christmas morning (at 4 a.m., when my parents were still sleeping off their hangovers from our annual Chistmas eve party), running down the very short hallway from my bedroom to the living room and finding a tiny blonde cocker spaniel puppy with a big red ribbon sitting quietly under the tree.

I imagined her jumping all over me, laying puppy kisses on my face and playing for hours.

Of course, my daydreams never included the parts where I had to clean up the puppy crap and piss from the carpets while we trained her, or taking her outside to do her duty at 6:30 a.m. in 30 degree January weather. Nor did I imagine this adorable pure-bred cocker, with her curly haired
ears and her white, freckled muzzle, to be an inbred schizophrenic that would viciously attack me, my brothers and my parents at least a 300 times throughout her 16 years of life for offenses like reaching towards her food bowl, taking away things she should not be eating or simply coming near to pet her when the ornery bitch didn't feel like being bothered with us. And never did I imagine this 30 pound dog being so frightening to others that we would have to lock her in a bedroom when company came over to prevent any Cujo style attacks on innocent women and children. How could a creature so small and soft and cuddly be so evil?

Because we didn't want to believe our doggie was simply an asshole, we hypothesized that Buffy (shut up, it was the 1980's) was mentally disturbed due to inbreeding. We met Buffy's mama, but we didn't meet the papa, who could have been a son or brother of father. Being 13, I didn't think of that, and clearly it didn't cross my parents minds either.

Sure, there were plenty of good times with Sybil; some of her personalities were quite sweet, and we loved her despite her shortcomings. But, had we done our due diligence before investing in a pet, we could have avoided the traumas we endured.

Now, I'm not discouraging people from getting a dog. I am a dog lover, and encourage anyone who has the time, energy and love to devote to a dog to get one. But there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it.

I'm sure a lot of kids (and adults) are begging for a puppy right about now - current movies like Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Marley & Me ensure that. If you plan to give in, learn from my mistake and make sure you get your pup from a reputable breeder, or better yet, rescue a dog from a shelter.

Beware of pet shops like PetLand use puppy mills, where female dogs live their entire lives in cages and exist only to to pump out puppies. The breeding is substandard, with unhealthy mothers being partnered (a.k.a. raped) by their own brothers, fathers and sons to pump out puppies. The poor conditions of puppy mills also lead to ill pups. In other words, don't support pet shops that use puppy mills by buying dogs from them. Use your local shelters or ask the pet store owner to show you documentation of where the pups come from before buying. They should be able to provide it.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)has plenty of resources on puppy mill scams, laws protecting consumers and ways to find a puppy or adult dog.

By doing our homework, Robbi and I have the perfect dog, Bella, a bullmastiff. We bought books on the breed before deciding on her, and ended up adopting her from a local guy who introduced us to both her parents. Bella came from the mother (Cocoa)'s second and final litter, and it was clear the breeder loved his dogs. In fact, it was hard for him to let the puppies go when the time came, and he told us to bring Bella back for a visit anytime.

We felt really good about where she came from, and the good breeding is quite obvious in her demeanor, health, and her ability to be endlessly sweet. She lights up our lives every day.

Thankful to be thankful on Thanksgiving

It occurred to me a little while ago that I have been thinking about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday the wrong way.

I've been complaining to myself that Rob and I have to hop between relatives houses on Thursday and won't be able to relax, but that isn't really something to complain about. God, what a jerk I am. We have places to go where there will be food, heat and family surrounding us (even if some of them drive us crazy). This is something many Americans do not have the luxury of complaining about this year.

I recently wrote an article for the Providence Business News about how the economy is affecting non-profit organizations like Crossroads Rhode Island, the state's main homeless and womens shelter. The state legislature cut funding for many state-based social services, so nonprofit groups are expected to fill the gap, but the state also cut funding for nonprofits, so these organizations can not afford to do so.

Crossroads is supporting thousands more people this year than previous years, many of them experiencing homelessness for the first time, and many of those people will converge at the shelter on Thursday for a hot meal. But homeless shelters like Crossroads can only provide food and housing if people support the cause, and it is easy to do. On Crossroads' website is a place to give the down and out among us something to look forward to this holiday season, including things like a few hours of GED tutoring, a Child's Winter Clothing Kit or Healthy Meals for 2 Families for a month.

Shelters in every state are in the same situation and need support. Give a few dollars this year and let someone else have something to be thankful for. Whatever you give will come back to you tenfold, even if it is only within yourself.