tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26536736319492200532024-03-13T11:51:22.202-07:00The Audacity of "Nope"- Pushing Back and Monkeywrenching in a World Gone Mad"It was a fine idea at the time.. now it's a brilliant mistake." Elvis Costello
“Unlike me, many of you have accepted the situation of your imprisonment and will die here like rotten cabbages.”- Patrick McGoohan in "The Prisoner."
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2653673631949220053.post-33271348642539439962020-02-26T09:04:00.001-08:002020-02-26T09:04:56.462-08:00Blog, Blog Bloggin Along...<br />
re: Can ya believe it?<br />
<br />
<br />
It's been four long, eventful years since I last posted here on 80/20. I won't bore you with all that's happened. Let's just say... life is interesting.<br />
<br />
One thing I am really enjoying is producing podcasts for people in financial services, real estate, and small businesses.<br />
<br />
My latest endeavor is the "Safe and Sound Podcast" with Sean Sparkman. Check out one of the shows we did with real estate investing educator and expert, Anna Myers. Anna's story is one that will amaze and delight. She proves, on a daily basis, just how tough women entrepreneurs are.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.blogtalkradio.com/safeandsoundretirement/2020/03/02/anna-myers-from-single-mom-to-real-estate-investing-superstar">https://www.blogtalkradio.com/safeandsoundretirement/2020/03/02/anna-myers-from-single-mom-to-real-estate-investing-superstar</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3XPOqIDRxoaISKFDVH7_Y-Tv_pySAaU89Yc_GZncJf6ODedLsma93twxMykeUtSzZmo1__fpRuq13PA9yZgxbhZuL2KaTgvVe02Zx5AMMBWDyWp2IduofcZyCAcoeSUn18An6H5J0AD6/s1600/anna.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3XPOqIDRxoaISKFDVH7_Y-Tv_pySAaU89Yc_GZncJf6ODedLsma93twxMykeUtSzZmo1__fpRuq13PA9yZgxbhZuL2KaTgvVe02Zx5AMMBWDyWp2IduofcZyCAcoeSUn18An6H5J0AD6/s320/anna.png" width="226" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.grocapitus.com/">Anna Myers, VP, Grocapitus LLC</a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2653673631949220053.post-72183787646934316282018-06-06T16:24:00.000-07:002018-06-06T16:26:25.333-07:00Trump to pull out all the stops fo Trump-Kim Summit, Motel 6 to Sponsor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tLr4QgW7HT4adO1QvkcfJq8q2-XEV8YNDG6V46G1WPKcYCBrP7kvGmt4e7QBp8NBCQoBGsE2L9urP19JDbJ-u3n1JfYOu5OCGWtfuL6OvKXUl3tIwebI2hnMaczmVXJWF6xuCo2QaP8R/s1600/motel-6-los-angeles-long.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="550" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tLr4QgW7HT4adO1QvkcfJq8q2-XEV8YNDG6V46G1WPKcYCBrP7kvGmt4e7QBp8NBCQoBGsE2L9urP19JDbJ-u3n1JfYOu5OCGWtfuL6OvKXUl3tIwebI2hnMaczmVXJWF6xuCo2QaP8R/s400/motel-6-los-angeles-long.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
(Sentosa Island,<br />
Singapore)<br />
<br />
After multiple mean tweets and Rocket Boy references, President Trump agreed to foot the bill for the upcoming Trump-Kim Summit.<br />
<br />
Singapore Motel 6 Corporation ("Never Leave the Light On, Period!") is a co-sponsor of the event along with the Koch Brothers, George Soros, and a prostitute known simply as "Myesha."<br />
<br />
"I'm looking forward to finally meeting with Rocket Boy in person and insulting him to his face," said Trump in a pre-summit press conference. "Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2653673631949220053.post-27054123517396781872017-08-24T07:24:00.001-07:002017-08-24T07:24:19.457-07:00By request.. Satire Songs revisited.. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
by Tammy de Leeuw<br />
Head "NOPE" dealer<br />
<br />
People who don't have Facebook (the wise among us) have asked that from time to time I post some of my "classic" Facebook song parody lyrics. <br />
<br />
So, every so often I will oblige. Here's one from 2016:<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Saudi Bunch (sung to the tune of the Brady Bunch)</span><br />
<img src="https://scontent.fslc2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/p720x720/13048104_1136241079740614_4962439474046065765_o.jpg?oh=d30ed8e6bd1fd5cb6d06bf031faae8a3&oe=5A20E818" /><br />
<br />
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
Here's the story of some dudes from Saudi</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
Who had nothing much but oil and lots of sand </div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
They wore bedsheets, and lots of gold bling</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
And they had super tans</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
Here's the story, of <span class="_4yxo _4yxp" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Abdulaziz</span> </div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
Who liked sports cars</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
But not camels and their fleas</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
He had 30 wives and 40 children</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
Yet he felt so alone</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
Till the one day when this despot bit the dust</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
And he had to give the Kingdom to his son </div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
The son was Salman and he liked to blackmail</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
That's the way we all got underneath his thumb</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
The Saudi Bunch, </div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
The Saudi Bunch, </div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
That's the way the world is run</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
By the Saudi Bunch</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2653673631949220053.post-78873505129118091792014-05-15T10:23:00.002-07:002015-09-10T16:29:00.046-07:00Emperor's New Core <img src="http://dealer-communications.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/picEmperors-New-Clothes1.jpg" height="249" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 124px;" width="320" /><br />
<br />
by Tammy de Leeuw<br />
Head Nope Dealer<br />
<br />
Many years ago there was an Emperor<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>named Educratis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now Educratis
was so exceedingly fond of shiny new things and fluffy, important-sounding
words, that he spent all the taxpayer’s money on the very shiniest, most
complicated gadgets and the longest, most intelligent words.<br />
<br />
He cared nothing about educating the people, or about being careful with
their money, or even about communicating with them at all except to show off
all the impressive ways he had found to place roadblocks in their paths to
success and make everything much harder than it needed to be.<br />
Educratis loved rules, regulations, and tests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
He made up a new test for every hour of the
day, and instead of saying, as one might, about any other ruler, "The
Emperor is in council," here they always said. "The Emperor's reading
a book that will help him change his testing paradigms.”<br />
<br />
In the great city where he lived, life had been, in spite of Educratis’
rule, generally happy and parents tried to make only the best decisions for
their children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This bothered Educratis
greatly because he worried that if the subjects began to think for themselves,
they might reject his call for rigor, a fun word which he had only recently
discovered.<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Rigor, we need more rigor in the
kingdom, by Jove!” he would rant to his minions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“And progressive learning, qualitative
evaluation, and enabling objectives as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yes, yes, I need to change everything about the education system…right
now.”<br />
<br />
And so it came to pass that Educratis and his counselors of dubious wisdom
put forth an invitation far and wide for someone to help them achieve these
quantifiable goals in education reform and devise tests that would frustrate
the most finely-tuned minds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
For a long time, nothing much happened to make Educratis’ vision become
reality. <br />
But then one day, many strangers came to the town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were called “Pearsonites” and they let
it be known that they were education reformers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They met with the Emperor straight away and told him they could deliver
exactly what he wanted- an extensive overhaul of the Empire’s education system
that would provide rigor along with copious amounts of high-stakes testing.<br />
<br />
“We can do this without alerting the people,” the reformers bragged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“So stealthily shall we move that the people
will not understand what has been foisted upon them until far too late,”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
“However, they continued, “Your majesty should know the cost is very high
for such magnificent innovation.”<br />
<img src="http://www.lammersvilleschooldistrict.net/vimages/shared/vnews/stories/51798ed840934/common_core.jpg" height="560" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="291" /> <br />
<br />
The Emperor was so excited at their words that he did not care about the
cost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Immediately, he called the
treasurer to bring him all the gold and silver in the exchequer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he saw that was not enough to satisfy
the Pearsonites, he instructed the mint to add tiny amounts of lead to all the
coins being distributed throughout the Empire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
“The people will never notice that a shilling isn’t exactly a shilling
anymore, “he reasoned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“And besides, I
am doing all this for their sakes.”<br />
<br />
The Pearsonites, along with members of the lesser nobility, began to work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They wove and spun report after report and multiple
peer-reviewed studies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of these confirmed
the Emperor’s worst suspicions: the ordinary people and their ordinary teachers
were too smart to be safe. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed they were
possessed of much wisdom and common sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It made Educratis shudder that his control of the Empire might be in
danger.<br />
<br />
After many months, and after exhausting the funds of the treasury, the
Pearsonites, led by Minister Duncan, went in to see the Emperor.<br />
<br />
“Majesty, let us present to you the <b>“Book of Common Core</b>.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This magical book, bound in dragon hide,
written in ink made of the blood of unicorns, and decorated with rare jewels
snatched from the belly of a live volcano, is the answer to controlling the
currency of information in the Kingdom. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
you can clearly see, it is the grail that Your Majesty has sought and which we
have gloriously delivered.”<br />
<br />
But the Emperor did not see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
strained and strained, but he could see nothing before him except an empty
wooden stand. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><img class="irc_mut" height="200" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" style="margin-top: 6px;" width="180" /><br />
<br />
Minister Duncan, coughing, said “I am sure that your Majesty knows well that
a book of such power as this cannot be seen by any save the wisest, most
intelligent in the kingdom. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
Sensing the Emperor’s hesitation, Lord Duncan continued.<br />
<br />
“Why, the peasants cannot appreciate something of such great worth and value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, when you present this to them, they
will all bow before you and give many thanks for giving them this holy tome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Except, perhaps, those pale wenches on the outskirts
of town who drive oxen carts and take their children to archery practice. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those women will surely fret over this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I would not worry Majesty, they will have
no choice but to accept your wise decision.”<br />
<br />
Slowly, the Emperor looked down and to his amazement, he began to see the glory
of the <b>Book of Common Core,</b> its' shiny dragon leather glistening, the
rare jewels flashing sparks of raw energy and power. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
It…was…the most incredibly beautiful thing upon which he had ever laid his eyes.<br />
<br />
“Yes... oh yes, I see it now. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
truly is a thing of preposterous beauty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let us command the people to assemble in the square so that they may
bask in the reflected glory of the Core.”<br />
<br />
The Emperor’s counselors, although they could also see no book, purposed in
their hearts to pretend in order to satisfy Educratis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They feared admitting the truth would be risking their public servant perks and pensions and exposing themselves to the
Emperor’s wrath. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
“ We cannot prove
ourselves unfit to be the bureaucrats. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would never do to let on that we see
nothing.”<br />
<br />
So, the counselors silently moved the wooden stand into the courtyard before
the crowds of people<br />
<br />
assembled there.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
"Don't hesitate to tell us what you think of it," said Lord Gates,
who had consorted with the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pearsonites
and was quite devoted to them. <img src="http://shaunpjohnson.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/gates.jpg" height="300" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 159px;" width="400" /></div>
<br />
"Oh, it's splendid, just splendid,” said the Chief Counselor. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Such intricate patterns and colorful
jewels. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'll be sure to tell the Emperor
how delighted I am with it."<br />
<br />
In the square, the people, who had been trained since childhood to regard
their Emperor as flawless and infallible, were chatting excitedly about the
splendor of the new Core, although inwardly they struggled with the fact that
the book seemed invisible.<br />
<br />
“What rigor! Such awesomely shifted paradigms! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is indeed the work of a blessedly
talented Reformer!” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>they cried.<br />
<br />
The Emperor’s retinue hoisted the stand onto a large wagon and began to
parade it through the entire town and the outlying areas of the Empire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Emperor rode alongside on horseback and
proclaimed the glory of the book to all.<br />
<br />
"This Book of Common Core is remarkable, is it not? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He cried.<br />
<br />
So off went the Emperor in procession with his splendid book <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone in the streets and the windows said,<br />
<br />
"Oh, how fine is our new Common Core. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will this not lift our children to perfection and
ensure college readiness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
Nobody would confess that he or she couldn't see anything on the stand for
that would prove him either unfit, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a
fool , or a pale wench. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No reform the
Emperor had attempted before had been such a confusing success.<br />
<img src="http://static.someecards.com/someecards/usercards/MjAxMy1kMjdkNmRmMzA5MTUwNzU0.png" height="294" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 133px;" width="420" /><br />
<br />
"But, there is nothing there," a little child said. “The stand is
totally empty!”<br />
<br />
"Did you ever hear such nonsense?" said one of the ministers. Why
should you listen to one silly child whose entire life will be impacted by this
reform?<br />
<br />
But the crowd began to murmur about what the child had said. "There isn’t
anything on the wooden stand,” they whispered.<br />
<br />
The Emperor was filled with self-loathing, for he suspected they were right.<br />
<br />
But he thought, " I have already spent all the empire’s money so this
procession has got to go on." <br />
So he walked more proudly than ever, as his noblemen held high the book that
wasn't there at all.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2653673631949220053.post-77069776347132917232014-04-15T07:59:00.002-07:002015-09-10T16:31:51.108-07:00You might be a Common Core Wreck Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZa9Hm-WFh1wL290TU-0Ja2Mh4V_UABFAmGgcmrcRTGsAu55sIQ3Pu-5KZcj6Z1LiWr7gy0KFAKIXu4sQ3qjCGIeqD343Nh9WticilGm_tEXBWkqWLGDoaPrnXG0XQUGjiHoDl7SAGJYQW/s1600/corewreck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZa9Hm-WFh1wL290TU-0Ja2Mh4V_UABFAmGgcmrcRTGsAu55sIQ3Pu-5KZcj6Z1LiWr7gy0KFAKIXu4sQ3qjCGIeqD343Nh9WticilGm_tEXBWkqWLGDoaPrnXG0XQUGjiHoDl7SAGJYQW/s1600/corewreck.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
1. It's Monday night and you are once again subjecting yourself to another tortuous Common Core <br />
"slideshow." <br />
<br />
2. Your middle-schooler gets detention for passing out opt-out forms on school grounds.<br />
<br />
3. You've been to so many school board meetings that they had your name engraved on a chair.<br />
<br />
4. Kinko's asks you "More opt-out forms for you today?" the minute you walk in the door.<br />
<br />
5. Your kindergarten child is overheard telling a classmate that she is "unilaterally opposed to high stakes testing."<br />
<br />
6. The people in your school's office refuse to make eye contact anymore and take your form without saying a word.<br />
<br />
7. The district curriculum developer refers to you as "that woman."<br />
<br />
8. Your high school kid unfriends you on Facebook because you keep posting the link to United Opt-Out.<br />
<br />
9. You keep your hand up at meetings and they NEVER call on you<br />
<br />
10. Teachers tell you stories off the record and make you promise never to tell ANYONE ever...<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2653673631949220053.post-80261272786145963242014-04-11T13:40:00.002-07:002014-04-11T13:40:14.211-07:00Dear"Big" Data- I'm Going to Have to Cut You Loosere: I've lost that loving feeling...<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50N1dcIWaqIzFyxeI50ygOdzEVEYVme10C71fKtTZQ5weAwTtZkbokW2dc6OxbDrLsyWadPEGsgGq4RemC1kHa49z3QremJrEp0bC5OCu5AkSs-DZEFGaugAajbD7KzmJEUZYi1I6MYBh/s1600/startrek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50N1dcIWaqIzFyxeI50ygOdzEVEYVme10C71fKtTZQ5weAwTtZkbokW2dc6OxbDrLsyWadPEGsgGq4RemC1kHa49z3QremJrEp0bC5OCu5AkSs-DZEFGaugAajbD7KzmJEUZYi1I6MYBh/s1600/startrek.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Dear Data:<br />
<br />
It's time to say goodbye to you and that bunch of arrogant jackasses you call friends, I'm talking about "Assessment," "Evaluation," "Quantification," "Categorization, " and "Testing."<br />
<br />
All they ever do is sit around drinking beer and talking smack about me and my kid and my kid's teachers. <br />
<br />
Last week, one of those acronym-loving losers spilled salsa on my new couch . Instead of admitting it, he just flipped the couch cushion over and pretended it never happened. When I brought up the situation I got a major dose of stink eye and was told to "take it up with <a href="http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/dc/cb/"><b>CBEDS</b></a> or <a href="http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sp/cl/index.asp"><b>CALPADS.</b></a><br />
<b> </b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><br /></a><br />
Blowing you off via blog seems rather impersonal, I realize. But, as I have come to understand, impersonal is exactly the way you like things- cold, shallow, and "one size fits all." You talk about "the big picture" when what you really mean is that you can't stand the thought of anyone marching in other than a straight line. I've never met anyone so afraid of divergence and creativity Children who have a love of learning make you shiver in disgust.<br /><br />
It's true that at first, I thought you were cool. I'll admit that much. Those halcyon days saw us earnestly examining issues that seemed important and worthwhile. You never pried and you were content to know the basics about me- name, address, emergency contact number, etc. I felt pretty safe with you back then. Like my opinions mattered to you. That I counted as an individual. That I could trust you to keep our discussions close to the vest.<br />
<br />
You <b>really</b> hooked me when you showed an interest in my kid, too. You pretended that everything you did was with my child in mind. You offered to help with homework, pick her up from school. You even sat in the classroom a few times, observing the teachers and offering helpful insights.<br />
<br />
<i>Then, suddenly. Things began to change.</i><br />
<br />
You and your "friends with no benefits " started hanging out more and more. Once, I came into the basement and caught you all watching "Common Core" movies on Youtube. Of course you denied it and said you were watching fly fishing videos. I knew better...<br />
<br />
I checked your account later and saw titles like <b>"Debbie Does Dallas School District,"</b>" and <b>Behind the Green Core."</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I was concerned. But boys will be boys, so I let it slide. That was a big mistake.<br />
<br />
Emboldened that you had gotten one over on me, you went into high gear, gorging yourself on personal information, Doritos, and cheap lager.<br />
<br />
You replaced your beloved "<b>Dogs Playing Poker,"</b> poster with a photo of Arne Duncan shaking hands with Bill Gates. Arne had on a leather dog collar and Bill was in a latex costume, leading him around with a whip and a chain. I was horrified.<br />
<br />
Before you changed, you had always said "Size doesn't matter." Now, though, you started demanding that I and others refer to you as "Big" Data, and you bragged about how large your database was and how well you used it. <br />
<br />
You demanded more and more information from me, wanting to know my religious preferences, political affiliations, how many times I exercised per week, and how "green," I was. You forced my kid to take test after test after test just so you could wave the results in front of your friends and laugh at her. <br />
<br />
You recorded everything I said and did, claiming you were building a profile to assist my family in getting the most from their educational experience. <br />
<br />
That was a lie. The reality was that you sold me out, and allowed your friends, even your business associates to access my information whenever they wanted to, for any reason.<br />
When I questioned you, you told me to shut up, that you didn't need my permission to share. <br />
<br />
I threatened to quit you and you laughed in my face.<br />
<br />
"Baby, you'll never leave me. You need my big data machine to dominate you; to help you make all your decisions. You can't live without my input, " you said with an arrogant smirk.<br />
<br />
But you are wrong, Data. I don't need you or your big database to feel satisfied. I'm a thinking, feeling parent who trusts my gut when it comes to my child and her education. I trust her teachers to act in her best interest when they are allowed to do so. <br />
<br />
I don't need you stealing my information and selling it to big corporations so they can figure out new ways to empty my threadbare pockets.<br />
<br />
I don't need you at all. And more importantly, I don't want you.<br />
<br />
So, Data pack your bags and hit the road and take those miscreants you call friends with you.<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
Tammy <br />
<br />
PS: If you are worried about a place to stay, call Arne. I'm sure he'll let you sleep on his couch for a few days.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2653673631949220053.post-23002643835284982142014-01-23T12:10:00.001-08:002014-01-23T12:13:53.072-08:00Thumbody's lying...The high cost of care and the power of nope...re: why medical care costs so much and how saying "nope" can help<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjrDctEpQ6hJq1zyvM0FPvaolmWgHmpi6JHC3DtnTn6hKbGckTC3jVljZ70TD53dpt7_5CL5RxyKmicXR-Rxrg3T-GMtDsBNchorL5OqsqC1U9lBbmU_4oFeP91c6ekkWpHVutLwr4PPv/s1600/high-cost-medical-care-obamacare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjrDctEpQ6hJq1zyvM0FPvaolmWgHmpi6JHC3DtnTn6hKbGckTC3jVljZ70TD53dpt7_5CL5RxyKmicXR-Rxrg3T-GMtDsBNchorL5OqsqC1U9lBbmU_4oFeP91c6ekkWpHVutLwr4PPv/s1600/high-cost-medical-care-obamacare.jpg" height="266" width="400" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
by Tammy de Leeuw</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Head Nope Dealer</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Politics aside , Obamacare's biggest Achilles' heel, in my opinion, is its' failure to answer the very real question: <i>"Why the heck does medical care cost so much in the United States?"</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Recently, I discovered perhaps a few small reasons why medical treatment in the USA can cost more than the entire GDP of some countries. (hint: it isn't because our technology is sooooooooooo superior)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In a rush to get my kid off to school, I nearly cut my thumb off on a can lid and wound up in the hospital emergency room with a towel wrapped around my hand.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I couldn't even remember the last time I was at a hospital other than to visit friends, so the process for getting treated was a bit mystifying to me.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
First, I waited two hours to get called in. Then, I went to triage, had my blood pressure and weight checked.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A doctor looked at my thumb for about 30 seconds as I explained to him exactly how I had managed to cut it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Yep, you really cut it deeply." he advised me. (gee-what gave it away? The blood-soaked towel? The red spots on my shirt?) </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I am sure this lengthy exam set the insurance provider back at least $500.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After the doctor's "examination," I was sent out to the waiting room once more, with no explanation.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
About an hour later, a white-coated woman came up and told me to follow her. I had no clue what this next phase of treatment entailed and was more than a little baffled when we entered a room labeled "X-Ray."</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"What are we doing here?, " I asked. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"The doctor ordered an X-ray," intoned the tech, not looking up from her clipboard.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"What? Why? I told him I cut my thumb on a can of ravioli. What in the heck would an x-ray show you about a that kind of laceration?"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The tech looked at me as if I had just questioned the law of gravity or something. "Well, the DOCTOR ordered it," she said gravely, as if my very life depended on blind acceptance of this statement.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I closed my eyes briefly and drew upon the power of NOPE as I told her, nicely but firmly that I did not want the x-ray and I didn't want the insurance provider billed for it either.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You could have heard a dust mite passing gas.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It must have been the first "nope" this tech had heard, because she scurried out of the room to inform the person in charge the patient wasn't down with being unnecessarily exposed to deadly radiation.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
She returned, led me quietly out of the room and back into the waiting area, where I entered my fourth hour of waiting with my towel wrapped thumb held above my head.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After 4.25 hours total wait, I finally got to see a nurse, who rolled up a table with a needle on it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"What's that?" I asked.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Your tetanus shot," she said cheerfully rubbing a prep pad across my arm.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Uh... I don't want one of those, " I responded. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A shocked look similar to that of the tech crossed the nurse's face. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"B-but. You said it's been more than ten years since your last tetanus shot. You need this. It's part of standard protocol," explained the nurse, a nervous tremor in her voice.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"No thanks," I said. "Do you know how many people got tetanus in the entire United States last year, I asked.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"No, no I don't but..."</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Fewer than 100. Out of 300 plus million people. More people choked to death while eating Taco Bell than got tetanus," I replied. ( I seriously didn't know if that was true, but I wanted to make a point.)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Also, are you aware what's in that shot? They still use mercury in the adult version and there is "bovine extract." What the heck is cow extract? And you want to put this into my body... for no good reason?"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The nurse was flustered and ran to get the PA, who seemed a little suspicious of me. For a moment, it looked as if they were going to refuse to stitch me up. So, I added , "Besides, I have really, really awful allergic reactions," I said. This wasn't true exactly but after nearly 5 hours in a smelly, noisy hospital, I just wanted out.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Oh, why didn't you say so?" said the PA. She entered "allergic to tetanus shot" into the computer and proceeded to stitch me up without further comment.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
All of this made me wonder how many times a day this same scenario plays out all across the United States. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What if EVERY visit to the ER comes with at least one unnecessary procedure that costs an extra $500? What if hospitals are secretly padding their bills to make up for budget shortfalls? Or they are getting "incentives" from drug companies to push their vaccines and medicines? What if they do it only because patients are too conditioned to trust the doctor and never ask questions?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In a way, we are all responsible for the high cost of medicine in America. Until we start questioning treatment courses, the safety and necessity of drug protocols; until we start saying "Nope," to CYA procedures and bill padding, costs will remain high.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Be a better informed patient and flex your NOPE muscle. Doctors aren't gods and they make mistakes. It's up to you to control your own healthcare and to not believe everything you are told.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2653673631949220053.post-88056578968086421592014-01-10T19:55:00.001-08:002014-01-10T21:09:11.072-08:00Rethinking Public School: How the State Kidnaps Your Child's Mindre: the best website about public education on the internet<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyxhwaCKnB6VDIoxOW7ZmsObpjppAhoBuNAdDh_UBEmnpGVw7ZopoI5wz0KriWNLZ0k4sirGbXJxSjbPZDqteWtjqc5D0l9uFRMZznvxTjBXE1lwRTYt7nKdDPLkXPEGsk8hgUyPQrmbd/s1600/pencil09c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyxhwaCKnB6VDIoxOW7ZmsObpjppAhoBuNAdDh_UBEmnpGVw7ZopoI5wz0KriWNLZ0k4sirGbXJxSjbPZDqteWtjqc5D0l9uFRMZznvxTjBXE1lwRTYt7nKdDPLkXPEGsk8hgUyPQrmbd/s1600/pencil09c.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
by Tammy de Leeuw<br />
Professional Nope Dealer<br />
<br />
<br />
Finally, there is a website out there which doesn't ask the usual "what can we do to improve public education?" but rather the less-obvious question: "Why should we even bother?"<br />
<br />
Check out this video based on the writings of John Taylor Gatto:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/VWRqZrCMqbA" width="560"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2653673631949220053.post-18786467660351926322013-12-09T07:38:00.001-08:002013-12-09T07:43:41.639-08:00Sad, and hopeful at the same timere: from the kids (you know, the ones who really have to pay the price)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiz-Pf8Hz610c0ytGj2m5R6riKdp4i9sMBulk67kqypn6VBaU-WXimhHTm-tUOIBuCTZ-XIVHIu1s1VW89vgMUK30Y8R_5cSMWPkEpLWl_IlBdph43V9Y2OTbU0gRgvE7Wq0Lke1BPRO6f/s1600/common-core-hurts-kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiz-Pf8Hz610c0ytGj2m5R6riKdp4i9sMBulk67kqypn6VBaU-WXimhHTm-tUOIBuCTZ-XIVHIu1s1VW89vgMUK30Y8R_5cSMWPkEpLWl_IlBdph43V9Y2OTbU0gRgvE7Wq0Lke1BPRO6f/s400/common-core-hurts-kids.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2653673631949220053.post-78061408901041153102013-11-30T12:16:00.000-08:002013-11-30T12:40:05.809-08:00Truth About Common Core Part 2<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:ApplyBreakingRules/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="//img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" />
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> (read part one of this report here: </b><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:ApplyBreakingRules/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://audacityofnope.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html">http://audacityofnope.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html</a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Truth About Common
Core- A Moneymaking Scheme That Will Leave You And Your Kids A Lot Poorer,
Stripped of Your Privacy (And A Lot Less Educated As Well!)</b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
by Tammy Caldwell-de Leeuw</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and Teresa Kuhn<b>, </b>JD, RFC, CSA<b></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.livingwealthyradio.com/">Living Wealthy Radio.Com</a><b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Part 2: White Lies and Deception: Who is paying for common
core...and who stands to profit?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEX2N07KR5ghj0MIiS3rjiSziQAsDNXAJpulpzAHX1UhzEUKEcow8haA3-V0SOklXdMAuKqEQlxPFUrmJIyXOp2GyllcNCr0n3cz9uO1aFbMzfS73afm6ol5li1Yo5UCZXN0hx9aHgwXQ/s1600/arneduncan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEX2N07KR5ghj0MIiS3rjiSziQAsDNXAJpulpzAHX1UhzEUKEcow8haA3-V0SOklXdMAuKqEQlxPFUrmJIyXOp2GyllcNCr0n3cz9uO1aFbMzfS73afm6ol5li1Yo5UCZXN0hx9aHgwXQ/s320/arneduncan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even a superficial investigation into the architects behind
Common Core reveals that the program is not, as some have claimed,
merely a way to design a more culturally-relevant curriculum and to evaluate
teacher effectiveness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Missouri’s
<b><u>Education Watchdog</u></b> group observes:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">“The Department of
Education provides the legal symbiotic structure for Gates and Pearson. <b>Private
corporations are developing (and the Department of Education is mandating)
educational programs taxpayers are required to support. </b> It's nifty
for Gates and Pearson, an easy job for Federal bureaucrats providing government
job security and a complete travesty for taxpayers. You are paying into a
system in which you have no voice. These companies are not elected and
not answerable to any constituents except their stockholders.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">You are paying into a
system of crony capitalism based on unproven assessments and results that will
make private corporations billions of dollars with taxpayer money.</span>
</i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">And remember, it's all for the
children."</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><a href="http://www.missourieducationwatchdog.com/2011/12/symbiotic-relationship-of-bill-gates.html">http://www.missourieducationwatchdog.com/2011/12/symbiotic-relationship-of-bill-gates.html</a>)”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Educational reformer and teacher Diane Ravitch concurs,
offering an even blunter evaluation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ravitch writes:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 47.25pt;">
<b><i>“There is a word for
this kind of anti-democratic collaboration between business and government, but
we haven’t used it much since the 1940s: fascism.”</i></b></div>
<b></b>(<a href="http://dianeravitch.net/2013/02/26/carol-burris-my-concerns-about-the-common-core"><b>http://dianeravitch.net/2013/02/26/carol-burris-my-concerns-about-the-common-core</b></a>)<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Loss of Privacy- For Students, Teachers, and
Administrators</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></u></b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Common Core, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>like
many other stealth “reform” and wealth redistribution projects, is deliberately obscured, awash in ample rhetoric
and so much arcane terminology that it is difficult to sift out even the
basics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is little wonder that many,
if not most, parents don’t understand the enormous part it will play in
building a national database that can be plundered at will for profit by
educational vendors.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In fact, when Common Core was being put together, not even
teachers had much input.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anthony Cody, a
veteran teacher and teacher coach in Oakland,
California, tracked the progress
of Common Core in 2009, writing:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>“Sixty individuals, ONE teacher among them, will
write national education standards in the next five months, in a secret process
that excludes effective input from students, parents or teachers.</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br />
As teachers we spend a lot of time thinking about what we teach our students,
and how to engage them in learning. When the National Governor’s Association
(NGA) called for national education standards a few months back, some educators
optimistically believed that we might be consulted in the process. After all,
didn’t the entire No Child Left Behind fiasco teach us what happens when
policies are enacted without the active engagement of the professionals
expected to carry them out?”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(<a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2009/07/national_standards_process_ign.html">http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2009/07/national_standards_process_ign.html</a>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The Pirates of
Education: Bill and Melinda Gates stand to make (more) millions from the
taxpayer-funded database</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<b><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></u></b><br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></span></u></b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Using standardized test results and
teacher evaluations</span>, </b>Bill and Melinda Gates are building a
database that will be used against children and teachers as noted here by
Leonie Haimson of Parents Across America in the Huffington Post:<br />
<br />
<i>“This week, the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203430404577096872141255542.html">Wall
Street Journal</a> reported that the NY Board of Regents approved the state’s
sharing of student and teacher information with a new national database, to be
funded by the Gates Foundation, and designed by News Corp’s Wireless
Generation. Other states that have already agreed to share this data, <a href="http://www.regents.nysed.gov/meetings/2011Meetings/December2011/1212p12a3.pdf" target="_hplink">according to</a> the NY State Education Department, include Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois,
Kentucky, North Carolina,
Louisiana and Massachusetts.</i><br />
<br />
<i>All this confidential student and teacher data will be held by a private
limited corporation, called the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leonie-haimson/bill-gates-rupert-murdoch-impatient-optimists_b_920000.html" target="_blank">Shared Learning Collaborative LLC</a>, with even less
accountability, which in July was <a href="http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Grants-2011/Pages/Shared-Learning-Collaborative-LLC-OPP1041367.aspx" target="_blank">awarded</a> $76.5 million by the Gates Foundation, to be spent
over 7 months. According to an earlier NYT story, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/education/30wireless.html" target="_blank">$44 million</a> of this funding will go straight into the
pockets of Wireless Generation, owned by Murdoch’s News Corp and run by Joel
Klein.” ~ </i>Leonie Haimson,<i><b> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leonie-haimson/confidential-student-and-_b_1156701.html">Confidential
Student and Teacher Data to be Provided to LLC Run by Gates and Murdoch</a></b></i><br />
<i><b><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></span></u></b></i>
<i><b><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">This Ain’t No Tea Party, This Ain’t
No Disco, This Ain’t No Fooling Around…</span></u></b></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-style: normal;">So, after over 400 data points,
including: religious affiliations ,voting habits, and living arrangements of
parents are collected on your kids, a reasonable and legitimate question is:</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-style: normal;">Exactly who will gain access to this
data and for what purposes?</span></i><br />
<br />
Researcher and education blogger Paul Bogush observes that.<br />
<br />
<i>“…. The National Education Data Model is a P-20 data resource. P-20
is a preschool to work data base. Think of it as a group that decides
what language will be spoken in the country. The language used to collect
and access data is determined by the NEDM. Think of McDonald’s. They don’t
grow potatoes, but they decide what kind, the size, shape, and everyone follows
along. Or maybe Walmart is a better example. They don’t make the
socks, but they give manufacturers parameters and the manufacturers could
decide to follow or perish. </i><br />
<br />
<i>The NEDM doesn’t collect the data, they will
provide one stop shopping for the data about your children…data for free! 400
points of data on children, and more data on teachers, and more on other
people. It is supported but not maintained by the Department of Education
and under the auspices on the National
Center for Education
Statistics.<u> <b>It’s against federal code for the nation to maintain a national
database on our kids. So they are getting around this by saying they are
simply promoting data linkages across states, and if all 50 are linked into
database that connects every single kid in the nation, well…the government does
not consider that a national database.” (http://blogush.edublogs.org/2013/03/17/a-post-for-the-common-core-lemmings/)</b></u></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moreover, as Bogush discovered, the data collected at
taxpayer expense with be available at no charge to for-profit educational
vendors.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“…these people who will be accessing the data to create
new worksheets, teacher training, software, and a million other things will not
have to pay a dime. You children’s information will be given to them for
free. But it gets better…there are already companies, led by the people
who were in charge of the non-profit groups that created the database, that
will be ready to sell the data back to the states. You got that right?
Your kid takes a test, the data is collected by state, the state submits
it to the NEDM, and then a company who has the kids’ achievement in their best
interests, accesses it, organizes it, and gives it back to the state…for a fee</i>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>(In part 3, we'll discuss the implementation of the standards, the impact so far, and the responses of parents and educators.) </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
File under: common-core, common-core-pushback, national-education-policy, teachers-don't-like-common-core, common-core-realities, parents-against-common-core</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2653673631949220053.post-7090081787476916272013-11-26T09:44:00.002-08:002013-11-26T09:56:57.597-08:0010 More Things to Do To Combat The Ill Effects of Common Corere: 10 More Things You Can Do To Combat Common Core<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_E1a14maCtj9FueosaEBdKJJ7n-T0SnOoJMAiOaLDtXTjP_6waSKfFUhwv2KIZY52UDURLzFnQ-hpw0FxD10A9ABokZDgUj2mmT5uGm1NhQ_3WmXbnoCmhA6usKFD1I6cn7VrrUVk54TR/s1600/katniss-everdeen-common-core.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_E1a14maCtj9FueosaEBdKJJ7n-T0SnOoJMAiOaLDtXTjP_6waSKfFUhwv2KIZY52UDURLzFnQ-hpw0FxD10A9ABokZDgUj2mmT5uGm1NhQ_3WmXbnoCmhA6usKFD1I6cn7VrrUVk54TR/s320/katniss-everdeen-common-core.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
1 <u><b>Become a Hunger Games Mom or Dad.</b></u><br />
Raise the next Katniss Everdeen or Peeta Mellark. (check out this wonderful blog post on how to<br />
do just that) <a href="http://nerdywithchildren.com/how-to-raise-the-next-katniss-everdeen"><b>http://nerdywithchildren.com/how-to-raise-the-next-katniss-everdeen</b></a><br />
<br />
2.<b><u>Develop the inner strength to resist authority.</u> </b> Resistance is NOT futile. The powers that be just<br />
like you to think it is. Dr. Milgram's experiments with obedience to authority in the 1960's<br />
seemed to indicate that most people lack the inner resources needed to resist authority. In other<br />
words- "Welcome to the Sheepdom." This doesn't <b>mean</b> you have to be that way, though. You<br />
can leave the herd and develop your resistance chops gradually. By saying "No!" to the smaller,<br />
but still irritating edicts of the State, you will gain the confidence you need to tackle more<br />
serious issues.<br />
<br />
3. <u><b>Your Own Private Field Trip</b></u><br />
Once a quarter, take your kids out of school and allow them to design their own perfect<br />
learning experience. You might be surprised to learn what really interests and motivates<br />
your child. Find mentors that can show him or her what it is like to do a particular job. You<br />
might go to a local restaurant and have your kid ask questions about what it's like to work as a chef,<br />
take a trip to an art museum, sail toy boats in the pond, build a model of a pyramid, volunteer to<br />
clean up your neighborhood park, do a wacky science experiment in the kitchen, make homemade<br />
donuts. Return some of the wonder, joy, and excitement to the life of your child faster than Common<br />
Core robots siphon it out. <br />
<br />
4. <u><b>Celebrate uniqueness wherever you find it.</b></u> Your preschooler likes to wear one blue sneaker<br />
one yellow sparkly one? Your middle school kid wants to dress like Gaga on Halloween? First-<br />
grader insisting on coloring the skies in her world green? LET THEM! I know it's a bit much<br />
having to leave the house with a kid dressed in a pink tutu, brown cowboy boots, and Spongebob<br />
t-shirt. But, don't you think your kid is made to conform enough throughout the day? Common<br />
Core is only going to exacerbate the death of individuality.<br />
You've got the right to be who you are- let your children know that they have that same right.<br />
<br />
5. <u><b>Take a higher learning course </b></u> Demonstrate the joy of lifetime learning to your child<br />
by taking a course in a subject of interest to you. Discuss what you are doing with your kids, show<br />
them your texts and workbooks and explain the subject matter and why it is of interest to you. The<br />
fantastic startup <u><i><b>Coursera (</b></i></u><a href="https://www.coursera.org/)">https://www.coursera.org/)</a><u><i><b> </b></i></u>allows<u><i><b> </b></i></u>you to take courses from some of<br />
the world's most prestigious universities online- fort FREE.<br />
<br />
6.<u><b> Learn to ask more interesting questions.</b></u> Nowadays, "what did you learn in school?" is more<br />
likely to be met with shrugs of indifference, rolling of eyes, or "Nothing." Instead of taking the<br />
same old same old approach, think of new, more intriguing questions to ask. "So, what did you<br />
learn today that you remember? "Why did that make such an impression on you?" <u><b>Get specific</b></u>.<br />
" I see in your syllabus that you had a lesson on Asia. Was there anything you learned about Asia<br />
that surprised you? Why? "If you had the chance to teach others about Asia, what would you<br />
tell them?" "What is it about this particular math operation that is giving you a hard time?" <br />
Use open-ended questions that force your child to open up a bit more and show that you have been<br />
following their progress with interest.<br />
<br />
7. <u><b>Send questions to your child's teacher about what he or she is learning.</b></u> Teachers are pretty<br />
overwhelmed these days, but most of them will read your email or text and respond as quickly<br />
as they can. If you determine that the teacher could be personally hostile to CC, lavish him or her<br />
with extra attention and encouragement. Understand that district policies and fear of losing a job<br />
might make it extremely difficult for a teacher to fight Common Core. Let them know they aren't<br />
alone.<br />
<br />
8.<b> Learn everything you can about how to be effective in a parent-teacher- school district </b><br />
<b> meeting</b>.<br />
If this means taking an online course in persuasion and influence or public speaking- do it!<br />
You might only have one chance at the bully pulpit- make it count!<br />
<br />
9. <u><b>Write articles, press releases, send photos, etc. to your area newspapers and radio stations.</b></u><br />
If you aren't media-comfortable, find someone in your inner circle of monkeywrenchers who<br />
is and set them up to give interviews to the local press.<br />
<br />
10. <u><b>Get the Big Picture.</b></u> Believe it or not, Common Core is just one cog in the bigger control freak<br />
machine. It's important to know, understand, and be conversant about the context which has led<br />
to the promulgation of Common Core and other attempts to re-invent society. Start with learning<br />
about the shaky monetary system. Chris Martenson's excellent "Crash Course" is a good place to<br />
start. <a href="http://www.peakprosperity.com/crashcourse"> <u><b>http://www.peakprosperity.com/crashcourse</b></u></a>. I also post a lot of interviews with experts<br />
on privacy, the economy, corporatism, Obamacare, etc. on my Youtube page.<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/tammydeleeuw"><b>http://www.youtube.com/tammydeleeuw</b></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Good luck and chin up as you throw your monkeywrenches like a BOSS!<br />
<br />
Tammy de Leeuw<br />
<a href="http://www.myblendedmarketing.blogspot.com/"><b>www.myblendedmarketing.blogspot.com</b></a><br />
<a href="http://www.ibankonme.blogspot.com/"><b>www.ibankonme.blogspot.com</b></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2653673631949220053.post-32921588645202733012013-11-24T20:24:00.000-08:002013-11-24T20:24:28.680-08:00Ten Things You Can Do Right Now To Push Back Against Common Corere:beyond the chatter... do things that MATTER!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pJ08KTYkYgeMgJe-15KYwJH4y4LWke0i2Qab_lzUysdUMA2U2OCODTTdBeNIaKOIeUAJjGNU-i6AxaCRXhK8g46L3IvMKsE2AJkdAPdQ-ItytMVi8Q90TmojdZNTpUYEaDGkKuIDrR-D/s1600/BURBS!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pJ08KTYkYgeMgJe-15KYwJH4y4LWke0i2Qab_lzUysdUMA2U2OCODTTdBeNIaKOIeUAJjGNU-i6AxaCRXhK8g46L3IvMKsE2AJkdAPdQ-ItytMVi8Q90TmojdZNTpUYEaDGkKuIDrR-D/s320/BURBS!.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
by Tammy de Leeuw<br />
<br />
<br />
If you're chomping at the bit to get off Facebook and out in the real world of common core, here are ten things you can do, right now, to push back.<br />
<br />
1.<u><b> Educate yourself. </b></u> Know the FACTS and the FAQS and be able to articulate them to anyone and everyone you meet. Remember, it isn't just soccer moms in mini-vans who are affected by Common Core- it's ALL of us.<br />
2. <u><b>If you use social media, tweet and post useful comments and information.</b></u> Don't just voice your displeasure. Tell others about available resources, local Common Core meetings, names and emails of people in your area who are pushing the Common Core agenda.<br />
3.<u><b> Find groups in your state devoted to opposing Common Core </b></u>and support them any way you can.<br />
4. <u><b>Write to the people behind this monstrosity-</b></u> not just Arne Duncan, but Melinda and Bill Gates, the Walton Foundation, Pearson, and others. Anyone and everyone you can find who is benefiting from Common Core.<br />
5. <u><b>Join as many anti-Common core groups on Facebook as possible</b></u>. Join the groups in other states and let them know you stand with them in their fight. Post notes of encouragement, tell your success stories and challenges. Solidarity is paramount in this fight.<br />
6. If you are a parent and your kid is being harmed by CC, <u><b>tell your story. S</b></u>can in homework assignments and let other parents see what Common Core is all about.<br />
7. <u><b>Start your own blog and share it with as many people as you can</b></u>. Fill it full of personal stories, videos, and links to resources.<br />
8.<u><b> Stay away from politics as much as possible and focus on the larger issue</b></u>: the encroachment of the Nanny State on your parental rights. Look for like minded people on the opposite end of the political spectrum and join with them. This issues transcends mere politics. <br />
9.<u><b> Keep up the pressure.</b></u> Let your local, state, and national elected officials know that they will LOSE votes. This seems to be the only thing that grabs their attention anymore.<br />
10.<u><b>Find, sign, and deliver a Common Core data opt-out to your school district office</b></u>. Tell them your kid will NOT be taking their 20 plus tests and you will not be cooperating with building the database. <br />
<br />
Now that the genie is out of the bottle on Common Core, I believe the ranks of those who oppose it will swell. We cannot allow ourselves to be marginalized or dismissed by a motley crew of corporate fat cats, bottom-feeding lobbyists, and parasitic politicians.<br />
<br />
If this 15-year-old can do it, so can you!<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PprP5TCZBRI" width="560"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2653673631949220053.post-22540582387935137142013-11-23T20:24:00.003-08:002013-11-23T20:24:49.187-08:00Independent Thought Alarmre: watch out for those independent thoughts...<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NzcdMYUNksY" width="420"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2653673631949220053.post-66008381635432136642013-11-11T11:21:00.001-08:002013-11-11T11:21:54.807-08:00What to do if you can't afford or don't want Obamacare...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download/p4rqpoub4kh7e4k/What_You_Can_Do_If_You_Can%27t_Afford_an_Obamacare_Plan(1).pdf"><img alt="http://www.mediafire.com/download/p4rqpoub4kh7e4k/What_You_Can_Do_If_You_Can't_Afford_an_Obamacare_Plan(1).pdf" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOLzc0JQfPqTWV9Z82tOJg0xe6bbADga3d-NihyphenhyphenaTZdlR0yqJYdh_SRFnUqRq9YiyH5rNj1tWTg2CugCxGa0iQUZBch-UAKEfJSQP-tUB1wFg5A_O54Cjddae_DIH9FVKeUokzJf_P_1i/s400/Obamacare-Ahead-Health-Care-600x450.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
re:it's confusing and for some EXPENSIVE</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
by Tammy de Leeuw</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Grouchy Marketing Lady</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Love it or hate it. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) has arrived, with its' full impact to be felt come January 1, 2014.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Millions of Americans across the country have already received notices from their insurance companies that their current policies will terminate on December 31, 2013.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
They are now faced with a daunting task: managing their own healthcare from A-Z and choosing </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Glitches in both the federal and state Obamacare marketplaces have occurred, leaving many worried and unsure of whether or not their new plans will be as good as the old ones, and whether the rates will truly be affordable.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Early feedback from states such as California, which has a website that is fully functional, is that rates have increased for millions of people. In addition, "exposure" has increased, meaning most plans have increased co-pays, deductibles, and maximum out-of-pocket costs.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Our friend Rick Liuag has put together a great report that you can get right now.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download/p4rqpoub4kh7e4k/What_You_Can_Do_If_You_Can%27t_Afford_an_Obamacare_Plan(1).pdf">http://www.mediafire.com/download/p4rqpoub4kh7e4k/What_You_Can_Do_If_You_Can't_Afford_an_Obamacare_Plan(1).pdf </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div>
Here are some of the better supplements you can use to build your own healthcare plan:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.calstarbenefits.com/index.cfm?id=55988" target="_blank">http://www.calstarbenefits.<wbr></wbr>com/index.cfm?id=55988</a><br />
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Also, medical access and discount cards are good and are part of our multi-part approach to bypassing Obamacare.<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.assistanceobamcare.com/" target="_blank">www.assistanceobamcare.com</a><br />
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Not sure if you're an agent or a consumer. In
any event, the information in the following videos will be helpful to
you in better understanding what we are doing to avoid some of the
negative im<br />
<br /><br />Obamacare selling for agents (this will also show consumers the problems they will be facing)<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-v12n8XD3I" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr></wbr>v=y-v12n8XD3I</a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Interview on Austin radio with <span class="il">Rick</span> Liuag (what consumers can expect and what they can do)<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5EApBrdHzk" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr></wbr>v=f5EApBrdHzk</a><br /><br /></div>
<div>
Marketplace Solutions (After Oct 1)<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmmZzZnxKwE" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr></wbr>v=fmmZzZnxKwE</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Even if you are NOT an insurance person, you will still gain a better understanding of the ACA by viewing these videos.<br /></div>
Finally, if you live in California, I can personally help you put a plan together. Just call toll free:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0