musings . . .

Can spending time outdoors make you a calmer, smarter person? What about classrooms – should they include time outside? According to this article on Science Daily’s website, yes. They say that there’s a bacteria that there is a bacteria commonly found in soil that people often breathe in or ingest, and that when this bacteria was tested on lab rats, it produced rats that were able to act faster than others and show fewer signs of anxiety. Who knew?

Anyone out there who was a bit older than I am might remember an oil spill in 1979. Here Rachel Maddow compares that spill with our current situation. I can’t help but wonder why we haven’t learned or developed more effective ways of dealing with these problems.

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Now this is just creepy. A man has demonstrated human infection by a computer virus. While this may sound sci-fi to many of us, there are plenty of scientists devoted to studying the future and future technology. A quick skim of a book by one of the field’s most visible authors, Ray Kurzweil, will familiarize anyone with some more ideas that send chills up spines similarly.

Crackpots? You be the judge. I can understand predicting more economic troubles for America this year – it’s not like people are spending less and saving more on a wide scale. But these claims, including the collapse of the FDIC and martial law, sound incredibly far-fetched. I, personally, will believe it when I see it.

With Memorial Day behind us now, we might be ready to read about something other than our veterans and their contributions to our present state of being. I urge you, however, to read this article, written by a veteran, about what it means to be American and what our veterans fought to secure. It’s more the acknowledgment that we’re all human and we all deserve the same rights, but we seem to keep trying to deny rights to others. I’m guessing it’s all about power. When a group of people has more rights (or freedom) than another, it has a greater amount of power than the smaller group – maybe even power over that group. These things are not what America was meant to be.

It’s Constitution Day!  And all of Philadelphia’s libraries may be closing as soon as October 2nd.  I can just see Benjamin Franklin rolling over in his grave.  It’s a sad day when one of the institutions that helped form our society (and remains a necessary service) can be neglected in this way.

On the flipside, I think Mr. Franklin would love the citizen involvement with science that new software for Android phones (and soon iPhones) creates.  It seems anyone can access a database of information about a project and upload their own information about that project, complete with GPS coordinates and everything.

Nature is fascinating, and I like to look at the fantastic pictures offered by photographers.  One newly-photographed animal is the golden cat.  Apparently it’s quite elusive and we have little opportunity to study it.  Too bad – it’s such a beautiful specimen!  A less beautiful, but equally fascinating, find is this snake with a foot.  Yup – a snake.  With a single foot.  Kinda creepy?  Sure.  Fascinating and awe-inspiring?  You bet!  And here, just for fun, are some very cool pictures of all kinds of animals.

With the Planck telescope, we are beginning to be able to look back in time, thanks to the nature of light.  Since my understanding of physics is limited at best, I suggest you read the article for further information.  My lame attempts to summarize would probably be completely wrong.  But I understand planets… at least on a basic level!  And a newly discovered planet, Corot-7b,  seems to have a solid, rocky surface.  This isn’t to say it could support life or anything – just that it’s a rare find when most planets outside our solar system are gaseous.

And back to health care.  It’s a big topic, and worthy of much discussion.  This article takes us on a trip through government spending and asks questions about priorities.  I’ve always wondered why we spend inordinate amounts of money on military prowess, space exploration, etc. when we can’t even get our homeless off the streets and our sick taken care of.  Perhaps we should, as a society, reevaluate our values and priorities.  Because without healthy people and proper roofs over our heads, all the military and space spending won’t do a bit of good.

Last year, when I was diagnosed (again) with bipolar disorder, I didn’t have to worry about the price of my medication.  Though I didn’t have health insurance, the county I live in was able to finance most of my medications  and doctor visits.  My payments were quite affordable and I was thankful for the taxes I paid that helped to finance this program.

But when I called in January to make another doctor appointment they told me that I would have to pay full price.  Apparently they lost some state funding and were only able to serve those with insurance now.  I was filled with panic and despair, crying and freaking out.  And that’s extra stress that someone with my condition certainly doesn’t need.

Thankfully, my next trip to another doctor yielded new prescriptions and some additional care.  Dr. A cares about her patients and does what she can to take care of us.  My next problem was figuring out how to get these medications at an affordable price.

I found out that a pharmacy was selling the generic versions of these meds for a total of about $30/month combined.  I was ecstatic.  What a lifesaver, right?  Well, I certainly thought so.

But after a few months of taking the generics, my condition was taking control more and more and I was less and less able to lead a normal life again.  Through a friend’s posting on Facebook, I watched a video and read an article on the real differences between some brand name and generic medications.  It really got me thinking about my recent decline in well-being and the fact that I  had switched to generic meds.  I decided to switch back to brand name medications and see how that goes.

I spent some time today calling local pharmacies that honor the Badger RX Gold discount card that I use.  I’m shocked at the prices that must be paid for brand name drugs.  The most expensive pharmacy in my area is CVS, who charge $299 for one drug and $129 for the other.  Their prices for the generics are $109 and $32.  Wow.  I was nearly speechless when I heard that.  The lowest prices I found were for generics for $25 a piece.  But for brand name drugs, Target was the cheapest, with prices of $169.49 and $124.99.  But a local pharmacy, Ye Olde  Pharmacy, was only a few bucks more.  And since they are a local business and they have fantastic customer service, I decided to go there.  Thank goodness the Badger RX Gold card helped me to save some money.  It’s incredible how much money it takes just so I can stay healthy.  And I know I’m not the only one.

In addition to this, I am uninsurable.  We just recently applied for health insurance (thinking there might be some way for us to pay for it) and due to the medications I take and the diagnoses I have received, I cannot get approved to save my life.  Literally.  I am in the process of applying for Wisconsin’s Health Insurance Risk Sharing Plan.  It’s for people like me that can’t get approved for regular insurance but also don’t qualify for programs like BagerCare Plus.  It might not be the best coverage, but it’s something – and that’s definitely better than nothing.

What do you think?  Is it fair that some people (perhaps those who need care the most) should have to hold off on making appointments and pay through the nose when they do end up seeking care?  Is it possible to continue to have a productive society when more and more people can’t afford to keep healthy?  Do you conider health care a human right (seperate from what any legal document says)?  How can we, as a society, help improve the health of our society?