This was taken from the www.whitehouse.gov:

Executive Order — Medical Countermeasures Following a Biological Attack

ESTABLISHING FEDERAL CAPABILITY FOR THE TIMELY PROVISION OF
MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES FOLLOWING A BIOLOGICAL ATTACK

Basically, what he is saying is that following a biological (anthrax) attack the U.S. Postal Service is allowed to deliver medical countermeasures (antidote). Well, thank you Mr. President, that makes me feel all safe & confident that all the branches of the U.S. Government are doing their job (uh not!).

This Executive Order is released after a Nigerian man tries to blow up a plane last month, Newark Airport was on a Security Lockdown Sunday night and the masterminds of the 9/11 attack on America are facing a trial in New York.

So is the message we are getting for the new year to be afraid, be very afraid in 2010? Because when a President makes an announcement like that it kind of makes me believe it’s just a matter of time.

Mr. Obama didn’t anyone ever tell you that is not the way you show confidence in your government? The American people need you to do your job and do it right. You are focusing on all the wrong things and in the meantime we are sitting ducks for another terrorist attack.

Airport security measures have been tightened since Christmas Day, they never should have been lowered. The Nigerian man was on a terror watch list, so someone wasn’t doing their job letting him in the country to begin with. Now we are being told if we fly our lives will be disrupted further due to new screening measures, which please understand I am all for. However, as Americans are arriving early, subjected to more screenings and randoms checks, terrorists are still getting through.

This is why, two very simple reasons:

1) The people in charge of airport security are lazy. They don’t want to be bothered having to detain someone or go through all the procedures for people they know are of interest. Instead, they “randomly check” those who they know are not a threat. It’s fast and easy for them.

2) The people in charge of airport security are afraid of being portrayed as prejudice. If they stop someone to “randomly check” them because of their race, nationality or ethnicity they are yelled at and bullied into believing that it is racial profiling. That these people should not be picked out just because of their background.

Fix this problem and fix it fast. Also, Mr. President one more thing (for now) do something besides talk and spend money. All you have done since you took office is spend Billions and Trillions of dollars and we are no where near the end of this economic depression or any terrorist threat. Let’s make that your New Years Resolution!

It has been debated among the faithful fans of All My Children, who will go? Who’s character will leave?

Wait no further….

What would AMC be without Erica Kane? Well, wonder no more Susan Lucci is staying with the show. She will commute to the set and maintain her residence in New York.

The only other original cast member Ray MacDonnell (Joe) will not be moving with the soap, he is retiring. He has been a fixture of Pine Valley for so long, he will be missed.

Alicia Minshew (Kendall) is going on maternity leave in November, so her fate is up in the air and Thorsten Kaye (Zach) has chosen not to relocate to Los Angeles. That is not surprising since his family (including Susan Haskell of OLTL) are in New York. Let’s hope the absence of this popular couple will not hurt the show.

Details about Chrishell Stause (Amanda) are not yet known. We do know the cast members staying with the show are Brittany Allen (Marissa), David Canary (Adam), Bobbie Eakes (Krystal), Melissa Claire Egan (Annie), Stephanie Gatschet (Madison), Ricky Paull Goldin (Jake), Vincent Irizarry (David), Shannon Kane (Natalia), Michael E. Knight (Tad), Jamie Luner (Liza), Adam Mayfield (Scott), J.R. Martinez (Brot), Cameron Mathison (Ryan), Debbi Morgan (Angie), Cornelius Smith Jr. (Frankie), Denise Vasi (Randi), Darnell Williams (Jesse) and Jacob Young (JR).

All My Children will tape for the last time in New York on Friday, December 11th.

The same day Mackenzie Phillips appeared on Oprah with her shocking revelation members of her family spoke out.

Genevieve Phillips, who was married to Mackenzie’s father John Phillips from 1972 to 1985, sent a statement that Oprah read on Wednesday’s show, claiming the allegations weren’t true.

Michelle Phillips, who sang along with her husband of eight years in The Mamas and the Papas, made a statement of her own with The Hollywood Reporter’s Roger Friedman claims Mackenzie called to tell her about the affair and then called her back to tell her it was a joke.

Michelle’s daughter, Chynna Phillips, told Us Weekly that she believed Mackenzie’s revelation.

Chynna is scheduled to appear on Oprah this Friday.

While Mackenzie Phillips promotes her book, High On Arrival, she’s been spilling her family secrets. Her father was John Phillips of The Mamas And The Papas and she was a child star from American Graffiti and One Day At A Time.

First Mackenzie sat with Oprah on Wednesday and let out the bombshell that she had sex with her own father. That the “affair” lasted 10 years and what started as rape became consensual.

Thursday she stopped by The Today Show for another interview.

Mackezie also states that she became pregnant during the “affair” and because of the issue of paternity (she didn’t know if the child was her father’s or the child of the man she was seeing at the time) she chose to have an abortion.

The former wild-child also remembers a night she spent with Mick Jagger.

The book is sure to be a best seller. I would stay tuned though for family reactions.

Three teenagers visiting Eagles Riverfront Stadium on June 29 claim they were kicked out of the park because they refused to stand during the song “God Bless America” and are now suing the minor league Newark Bears. Surprise! Surprise!

The three boys all from Millburn High School are identified as 17 year olds Bryce Gadye and Nilkumar Patel and Shaan Mohammad Khan, 16.

The lawsuit claims the boys were seated behind home plate when the song began playing. When the song ended, they say Bears president and co-owner Thomas Cetnar approached them yelling that no one sits during ‘God Bless America’ in his stadium. Also cursing for them to leave the stadium. Cetnar denies that ever happened and called their account of what happened a lie.

“I think what makes it so horrible is that they were publicly humiliated for exercising a right that was guaranteed to them by the United States Constitution,” Gadye’s father used as their reason for the lawsuit.

So let me get this straight you want to stand behind your rights given in the Constitution of The United States, but refuse to sing a song about those freedoms.

I don’t think it’s too much to ask that you stand for a song celebrating a country that gives you the liberties and rights you expect and for which America allows you. Why wouldn’t you?

According to Ross Gadye, he met with general manager Mark Skeels and co-owner James Wankmiller after the incident. He said they apologized and offered and free tickets. However, the boys said the apology needs to come from Cetnar who would not meet with them and was sued soon after.

Wankmiller said they offered to meet with the boys and never heard back from them and that it all comes down to money. Another surprise!

I hope they don’t get a penny and then sued for wasting taxpayers money, because any hardworking taxpayer would stand for that song and for the U.S.

In August alone we lost three public figures. All famous for completely different reasons.

On August 25th Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy died after a year-long struggle with brain cancer at the age of 77. The younger brother of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Ted followed in their footsteps when he entered the Senate in 1962. In 1980 he ran for President, but lost the Democratic Primary to Jimmy Carter.

Over the course of his run in the Senate Kennedy fought hard for health insurance, civil rights, children’s health insurance, education and many more worthy causes. He will be remembered for his determination and sympathy.

The very next day we lost best-selling author and crime reporter Dominick Dunne when he died at age 83 after a battle with bladder cancer.

An American writer and investigative journalist Dunne made a name for himself reporting on celebrities and the judicial system.

Dunne started writing for Vanity fair in 1982 when his daughter, Dominique Dunne (who starred in the film Poltergeist) was murdered and he wrote the article “Justice: A Father’s Account of the Trial of his Daughter’s Killer.” He went on to host the TV series Dominick Dunne’s Power, Privilege, and Justice.

Then on August 28th Adam Goldstein, AKA DJ AM, was found dead at age 36 in his NY apartment. It has been reported as a drug overdose, it is not known if it was accidental or not. He was sober for nine years.

Goldstein was an American club DJ who often collaborated with Travis Barker of Blink-182. On September 19, 2008, Goldstein and Travis Barker were seriously injured in a Learjet crash that killed four others. Some say that was the cause of his relapse into drugs. He will be remembered by many for his willingness to help others in their quest for sobriety.

Actor Patrick Swayze died Monday at age 57 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

The star of hit movies such as “The Outsiders,” “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost” will be remembered for his strength and his charisma.

We all remember September 11, 2001 as if it were yesterday.  Where we were, what we were doing, how we found out.  It is a memory, no matter how horrifying it was, it is one that will haunt us forever. That was a day Americans finally realized that we are not untouchable and there are evil people in this world whose sole purpose is to destroy us.

As we all watched the Towers collapse, the Pentagon wall crumble and a big crater in the ground where a plane crashed our hearts broke. They broke for all those innocent people who were killed that day, that’s right they didn’t just die they were killed, viciously and intentionally. They still break every time a birthday or anniversary passes and every year we realize this day was not a nightmare.

So today we remember all those that lost their lives that day eight years ago. We remember the people who simply went to work that morning, the ones who sat on a plane and all those who gave their lives trying to help others. We will never forget.

I want to remember my friend Deanna, who was pregnant with her first child Matthew. I will never forget.

To the disgusting, evil men who took her life and the lives of almost 3,000 people that day, may you rot in hell. America will never forget.

God Bless The USA!!!!

The Obama Plan.  It has been the focus of many debates and knee deep in controversy.  I have a pre-existing condition so this affects me greatly.  I say we break it down.

If you have Health Insurance:

• Ends discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions. Those with pre-existing conditions are not denied health insurance.  Health Insurance companies are not allowed to deny anyone coverage if you can pay their premiums, they are however going to make it incredibly hard for you.  This was said to me personally by one of the biggest insurance companies.  Their representative said those words to me when I tried to obtain their coverage.  They will force you to pay high premiums while limiting your coverage and denying claims.  By them denying claims you are denied treatment.
• Limits premium discrimination based on gender and age. How?  If you can do that, do it now.
• Prevents insurance companies from dropping coverage when people are sick and need it most. It’s not that they drop your coverage, why would they if you are paying the premium.  They will keep taking your money and just deny your claims.
• Caps out-of pocket expenses so people don’t go broke when they get sick. Please see my thoughts below.
• Eliminates extra charges for preventive care like mammograms, flu shots and diabetes tests to improve health and save money. Please see my thoughts below.
• Protects Medicare for seniors. If this is truly a concern for them why did they just cut budgets for Medicare and stop making premium payments for seniors who cannot afford them?  They did not give prior notice, they just took the money out of Social Security checks.  The checks these people rely on to survive and pay for the medical costs Medicare does not cover.
• Eliminates the “donut-hole” gap in coverage for prescription drugs. Isn’t this why the created Medicare part D? The part D plan gives Medicare recipients who did not have prior prescription coverage the plan to cut the out-of-pocket costs for their monthly prescriptions.  Why not just expand the program?

If you don’t have Insurance:

• Creates a new insurance marketplace – the Exchange – that allows people without insurance and small businesses to compare plans and buy insurance at competitive prices. This does not guarantee Americans will be able to afford it.  If you have no job, which is the issue millions of Americans are facing you still cannot afford to pay any premium.  They can compare plans now and buy insurance with the one who offers the lowest premium.  However, they can’t afford the premium period, even the lowest isn’t low enough.
• Provides new tax credits to help people buy insurance. He speaks about tax credits on a sliding scale and cost- sharing for out-of-pockets expenses, but he doesn’t care to elaborate or explain what these are to the Americans who don’t know.  Cost-sharing is what they did to Medicaid, which made it impossible for some people with pre-existing conditions and life threatening disabilities to be covered under the program and excluded them from receiving health insurance.  Also, who exactly will be able to receive these tax credits?
• Provides small businesses tax credits and affordable options for covering employees. What about handing fines out to the employers who do not want to offer coverage or use the loop-hole and hire all part-time employees that they are not required to offer any benefits to.
• Offers a public health insurance option to provide the uninsured and those who can’t find affordable coverage with a real choice. He also said it will be like Medicaid.  Then he contradicted himself and said that this public option will operate like any private insurance company – it must be self-sufficient and rely on the premiums it collects. How if those on Medicaid cannot afford a premium?  If it will be like Medicaid why not just improve that program, instead of creating one just like it.  This public option is still on the table for one reason, no matter what he says it is geared toward those who already rely on public assistance.  If not, why not eliminate the option.  You are already supposed to be offering affordable coverage, so why does there have to be yet another option?
• Immediately offers new, low-cost coverage through a national “high risk” pool to protect people with pre-existing conditions from financial ruin until the new Exchange is created. Again I ask, how?  Who is going to provide this coverage and what will the limitations be?  Again, what if it’s not as affordable as you are leading people to believe?  You want us to accept what you say and wait for this new “Exchange” but we won’t receive it for another four years.
• Requires additional cuts if savings are not realized. Under the plan, if the savings promised at the time of enactment don’t materialize, the President will be required to put forth additional savings to ensure that the plan does not add to the deficit. He says this, but what if at the time savings are not realized he will do what he has been doing and say we will put forth additional savings but it will take time.  So he wants you to pass a bill that probably won’t even be realized during his Presidency and makes promises for future Presidents.
• Requires large employers to cover their employees and individuals who can afford it to buy insurance so everyone shares in the responsibility of reform. Under the President’s plan, large businesses – those with more than 50 workers – will be required to offer their workers coverage or pay a fee to help cover the cost of making coverage affordable in the exchange. This will ensure that workers in firms not offering coverage will have affordable coverage options for themselves and their families.  Individuals who can afford it will have a responsibility to purchase coverage – but there will be a “hardship exemption” for those who cannot. There it is at the very bottom, the exception to the everyone pays promise, the “hardship exemption.” What qualifies as a hardship?  If you have not or do not pay taxes then you should not be allowed to be an exemption.  People on Social Security Disability have paid taxes at one point in their life, this makes them eligible to receive Disability, that should be the only exemption.

America needs Health Care Reform, that is not under debate, however there is a way.  It’s just not Obama’s way.  Instead of finding ways to make it easier for patients to pay hospital bills why don’t you make the hospitals accountable for what they charge.  There should be only one bill, a single bill received from the hospital, for services rendered.

There should not be a bill for each service.  A patient should not receive a separate bill, one for the hospital stay, one for medication, one for lab tests and individual bills for each person who walks through their door.

That person should not be responsible to pay for each nurse and doctor who enters their room, that is why they get a paycheck.  They should not be responsible for doctors they did not approve of who come in to read their chart and listen to their heart for two minutes.

Congress wants to cut health care costs and make it affordable for everyone, then start there.   Stop allowing doctors and hospitals to take advantage of us.

Another way to cut costs, make insurance companies accountable. Instead of trying to pass a bill making separate programs improve the ones already in place.  Instead of allowing these companies to profit off of us fine them for every legitimate claim they deny.  Lower the costs of medical services and prescriptions, which you can by demanding these medical and prescription providers not be allowed to mark-up costs to the degree they do now.  There can be a compromise between making a profit and offering affordable options.  That’s what any Commission you create should be focusing on.

I don’t want to hear that is government interference, government interferes with everything else, why not let them interfere with what can benefit Americans.

There are many more ideas just like these, so why don’t we get them out in the open and then maybe, just maybe someone will listen.

Source: WhiteHouse.gov

I watched the new and modernized Melrose Place last night, mostly out of curiosity and to see how it compares to the old show. I was a little disappointed. Now I’ll explain why.

The old cast back in the 90’s looked twenty-something, the new cast looks like they are straight out of high school. Ella is supposed to be a hot shot publicist, but she looks more like the prom queen. Ashlee Simpson-Wentz’s character Violet looks boring. No offense to Ashlee, because she was barely in the episode I couldn’t even judge her acting ability.

Laura Leighton brought back Sydney Andrews, who apparently faked her own death all those years ago only to be murdered in the beginning of the episode. She will appear in flashbacks the rest of the season for the whodunnit theme. I think that was a big mistake. The character is great and Leighton plays her perfectly, she fit right back in her wicked shoes.

Dr. Michael Mancini (Thomas Calabro) is back, remarried with another child. I guess he hasn’t changed much as we find out he cheated on his wife with Sydney. However, a tangled web has been weaved when we also find out David, who now lives in the Melrose building is Michael’s estranged son and also slept with Sydney.

This confuses me only because they never say who David’s mother is. On the old show Sydney’s sister Jane was married to Michael, but during that time they didn’t have children. They comment that it’s only been 11 years, so how could he have a twenty-something son? Who is his mother? Please don’t tell me he can possibly be Sydney’s nephew, because that would just be gross.

Without giving scene by scene or a recap of the whole episode let’s just say they definitely kicked off the show with a bang. The older version worked it’s way to being wicked and hot, this one started off with murder, prostitution, black mail, alcoholics and girl on girl action. I guess you can say it didn’t disappoint in that sense.

I will watch the show, because I was a fan of the old and maybe they’ll bring back more of the old cast. Also, I’ll watch for Colin Egglesfield, who plays Auggie Kirkpatrick, I’ve met him and enjoyed watching him on All My Children. Maybe the rest of the new cast will surprise me. I won’t make judgments off one episode.