Vietnam POW's Reunion Celebration - 40 Years

This is an awesome video of the 40th reunion celebration of the return of the Vietnam POW's.

It's a MUST see and keep.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LemllfcAY8A&feature=share&list=PLpPc8FImp3GFfx0gDFLuwXzXf8dYJrLpR

Will The Affordale Healthcare Act Prove To Be a Catastrophic Event?

Re-posting and updating a prior post.

This article explores a “scenario”. Scenarios for insurance people are sets of circumstances that could occur. After the common occurrences, such as an auto accident in a parking lot, we move on to the less common and determine if the cost to insure that scenario would be worth the cost of the insurance.

What follows is a scenario looking at factors which could impact our country (and the world) if significant change is made to our health care delivery and insurance system. This is hopefully a “worst case” scenario but one that needs to be considered nevertheless.

If people are required to participate in the government health care plan or pay a penalty, they will be in the government plan (or as now appears, the penalty will be the smaller charge so they may just opt out).   As a result, most health insurance companies will fail due to loss of business. Some companies might survive by writing supplemental medical policies but their income will be greatly diminished.

Most health insurance carriers are also life insurance companies and coverage currently provided by these life insurance policies could be in jeopardy if these companies go out of business.

Many Life & Health Companies are also Property & Casualty Insurers and vice-versa. So if the health insurance piece of the insurance industry fails, and then the life insurance piece, the property & casualty piece could be very close behind in failing.

For a short time, that might not be so bad since every state has what is called a guaranty fund. A state guaranty fund is funded by participating insurance companies that write business in the state. They are required to do so. If a participating company goes bankrupt, the fund is used to pay claims for the now defunct company. If the company which fails is particularly gigantic (think AIG), the state guaranty funds could be quickly depleted. Should that happen, there will be policyholders who had valid insurance policies but cannot be paid for their valid claims simply because there’s no money.

The scenario continues. Insurance companies buy insurance to protect themselves from catastrophic losses. It’s done through a process called Reinsurance. For example, ABC Company writes homeowners coverage in “tornado alley”. They don’t want to be ruined by a bad summer of tornadoes so they share the risk among other insurance companies who agree by a reinsurance policy (treaty) to cover losses that exceed specified amounts. There are billions, possibly trillions of dollars covered by these treaties worldwide. ABC Insurance Company may pass off a portion of their risk to DEF Insurance Company, and DEF Insurance Company passes a portion on to GHI Insurance Company, and GHI Insurance Company passes a portion of their total risk to ABC Insurance Company, etc. Many insurance carriers specialize in Reinsurance and many are foreign owned.

Reinsurance works very well until DEF and MNO are defunct and can’t honor those treaties. There was a time several years ago when placement of insurance became difficult because the foreign reinsurers would not take as much of the “action” as they had previously. They were fearful of insurance company failures and large losses. This occurs after heavy hurricane losses, losses such as 9-11, and a bad economy. They remain fearful of our “lawsuit” happy society here in America. When foreign reinsurers see companies failing in the US, they stop offering reinsurance or charge a higher amount for it. When the reinsurance market hardens, many US companies cannot risk writing more coverage due to the regulations placed upon them by governmental entities. They may be forced to withdraw from the insurance marketplace. Reinsurance does not “drop down” to cover first dollar on claims. A reinsurer prices their product with the expectation that they will only be involved in a claim after what could be described as a very high deductible is handled by the primary insurance carrier. If they were forced to do this, by some newly created law, they would not be able to meet the obligation because they didn’t collect premium dollars to match that loss exposure. They would simply close their doors.

To continue the scenario, if most US Life and Health companies fail, followed by Property & Casualty company failures, these failures will cause a real shortage of insurance coverage throughout the world.

Without insurance, banks won’t lend money for homes, cars, businesses, equipment, goods in transit, payrolls, or building projects. Commerce would grind to a halt without insurance because no one, individual or corporate giant, is willing to put their money at risk without some recourse for damage compensation. Commerce was the original driving force behind the creation of insurance – to spread the risk of loss among many parties so that no one person might face total ruin. If the number of participating parties dwindles, there is less security for everyone.

If Humpty falls off this wall, it could take decades to put him back together again, if it can be done at all.

An additional scenario following inception of the new Affordable Care Act (ACA) is this.  Insurance companies are now, under the ACA, required to accept persons with “pre-existing conditions” – and to do that without any increase in premiums to these people even though it is an absolute certainty claims, usually large ones and certainly frequent claims, will be submitted.  Without adequate premium dollars in their reserves to meet these certain claims, the insurance companies will soon be unable to pay these claims – or ANY claims, for that matter.  As a result, they will be out of business, thereby limiting access to insurance even further.

As stated at the beginning of this article, only “scenarios” are being presented here.  Rarely, do anticipated scenarios actually occur precisely as visualized when actual events occur.  It is always hoped by the insurance industry that they have thought of everything in their scenarios and are therefore prepared to handle actual claims resulting from the occurrence of the “scenarios”.  Sometimes things go well and the anticipated claims match what has been prepared for.  But often, catastrophic claims situations arise that go far beyond what was anticipated and planned for.  The burden of paying for catastrophic claims always shows up in higher premiums for everyone. 

Why?  Why can’t these “rich” insurance companies just eat the loss?  Oh, they will “eat” the loss if they have failed to plan correctly (having large reserves and charging premiums so that funds will be in those reserves to pay claims).  They will “eat” the losses until there are no more reserves and no more funds to pay claims.  At that point, the insurance companies close, putting thousands of people out of work, creating a huge shortage of available insurance (supply/demand=when the demand is greater than the supply available, prices ratchet up very quickly.

I hope and pray I am incorrect in my developing “scenario”.  However, if I am correct, look out for the deluge and collapse, perhaps of biblical proportions.

Will the general public be extremely angry if these scenarios play out?  Of course.  Maybe that's why they want to confiscate guns from private citizens?  Are they anticipating their own scenario?

Just for reference purposes, this writer has more than two decades of experience in the commercial property & casualty field and holds a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter designation and current licensing in Property/Casualty and Life/Health.
 

Maid-Rite Burgers

Maid-Rite Burgers

1 lb Ground Beef

1 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp prepared mustard

6 oz beer (optional) or 6 oz water

Salt (to taste)

1 TBSP (to taste) Cola syrup (the “secret ingredient”)

Combine ground beef, pepper, sugar, mustard, salt in the top of a double-boiler and add beer.  Cover top and heat for one-half hour, stirring occasionally.  The longer it cooks, the more the flavors blend together.  Toward the end, uncover to allow some of the liquid to boil off.

Use a slotted serving spoon to serve on hamburger buns with mustard, dill pickles, and chopped onion.

Serves 6

I used this recipe to make Maid-Rite Burgers that I remembered from growing up in Illinois.  This recipe came pretty close though I did have to do a bit of "taste and adapt" on the amounts of each seasoning and flavor.  I 'seriously' doubt that this amount would serve 6 people.

I made a much larger amount than just one pound and made it in the crockpot, trying to give the burger the "steam" cooked quality I remembered.  I used both beer and water but probably mostly water.  Be sure to heat (not toast) the buns, to give them a steam-heated quality.  Stir frequently to make sure the hamburger doesn't clump together. The cola syrup really does seem to be the secret ingredient because it makes a tremendous difference in the flavor; I added it a bit at a time until it reached the flavor that appealed to me and seemed most like the original Maid-Rites.

You can buy cola syrup at most supermarkets but if you cannot find it, drugstore.com has it in 4 fl oz bottles for a very reasonable price.  It is also sold in large quantities, which will not be needed for this recipe.

Amazingly, there are still some of the Maid Rite sandwich shops around the country.  For a location, check here:  http://www.maid-rite.com

Your Four Friends

Once upon a time there was a girl who had four friends. 

She loved the fourth friend the most and adorned him with rich robes and treated him to the finest of delicacies. She gave him nothing but the best. 

She also loved the third friend very much and was always showing him off to neighboring kingdoms. However, she feared that one day he would leave her for another. 

She also loved her second friend. He was her confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with her. Whenever this girl faced a problem, she could confide in him, and he would help her get through the difficult times. 

The girl's first friend was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining her wealth and kingdom. However, she did not love the first friend, although he loved her deeply, she hardly took notice of him! 

One day, the girl fell ill and she knew her time was short. She thought of her luxurious life and wondered, 'I now have four friends with me, but when I die, will I be alone.' 

Thus, she asked the fourth friend, 'I loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?
'No way!', replied the fourth friend, and he walked away without another word. 

His answer cut like a sharp knife right into her heart. 

The sad girl then asked the third friend, 'I loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?' 'No!', replied the third friend. 'Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to marry someone else!' Her heart sank and turned cold. 

She then asked the second friend, 'I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?' 

'I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!', replied the second friend. 'At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.' 
His answer struck her like a bolt of lightning, and the girl was devastated. 


Then a voice called out: 'I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go.' The girl looked up, and there was her first friend. He was very skinny as he suffered from malnutrition and neglect. 

Greatly grieved, the girl said, 'I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!' 

In truth, you have four friends in your lives: 

Your fourth friend is your body. No matter how much time and effort you lavish in making it look good, it will leave you when you die. 

Your third friend is your possessions, status and wealth. When you die, it will all go to others. 

Your second friend is your family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for you, the furthest they can stay by you is up to the grave. 

And your first friend is your spirit. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world. 

However, your spirit is the only thing that will follow you wherever you go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of you that will follow you to the throne of God and continue with you throughout Eternity. 

Thought for the day: Remember, when the world pushes you to your knees, you're in the perfect position to pray. 

Pass this on to someone you care about - I just did. 

Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect. It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections.

Tru Connect Mobile Hot Spot

 

Okay, I can't find a serious review about this item anywhere on the net so I'm going to write my own.  I bought one of these deals from Tru Connect (http://store.truconnect.com/mifi-mobile-internet/i.html?gclid=CLzwrILo9rACFTFZTAodpRP29A) about 9 months ago and I paid $100 for the unit itself.  I do not like this item at ALL.  I paid $100 for the gizmo, planning to use it only to look up business addresses and phone numbers on it a few times a week when I was not sitting at my home computer. 

Well, the deal they offer is quite sweet - $4.99 per month basic and quite cheap if you go over the allotted data usage.  But trust me, I've never gone over the usage limit because the thing simply doesn't work.  Ergo - no use, no payment.  That's the bright spot.

Outside of my own house, I've only been able to make this thing actually work at powering up my simple little 7" tablet ONE time.  Supposedly, it runs on the Sprint network.  Well, Sprint must have an area the size of my house because I can't connect to them with this mifi anywhere else.

Enough about how I'd like to stand beside I635 and throw this thing into the rush hour traffic.  Their customer service is really nearly non-existent.  Do you like doing chats about how a device such as this just doesn't work?  Then this is the company for you.  Do you like chats that really go nowhere and all you've accomplished is some wasted time when you're finished?  You'll love this place.

Sample chat:

Your Question: I have a truconnect device that simply does not work for me. I am a field interviewer & need it conducting interviews. I'm in DFW area & should connect just about anywhere. This device goes to AT&T, right? 9.75 x in 10 it won't connect. Solution?

Please wait, an operator will be with you shortly.

 

You are now chatting with XXXX (Support Agent) - Customer Support

15:46Lorena K Williams: hello

15:46XXX: Thank you for contacting TruConnect Support.

15:47Lorena K Williams: uw

15:47Lorena K Williams: make that 9.99 times out of 10 it fails to connect

15:48XXX: The quality of your connection depends on many factors such as location, signal strength and bandwith usage, speeds can also be slower when performing intensive activities like downloading large files or streaming video, this could be the reason why download speeds vary. You can check the signal strength accessing, in your computer's web browser type http://mifi.admin or http://192.168.1.1 Click on “Log In” and enter the password "admin" when prompted. The signal bars indicate the strength from scale 1(low) to 4(excellent), it´s also important to determine the quality of your connection checking if underneath the signal bars you see "1xRTT" or "EVDO". EVDO is the faster connection but if you have the "1xRTT" your connection may be low. To improve the quality of your connection please try moving to a different location (closer to a window) to get a better signal. 

15:49Lorena K Williams: okay yesterday, the device was on in a large suburb of Dallas and all I got was "not in range"

15:50Lorena K Williams: I am never trying to do anything with it but look up addresses on the internet. Should be a no brainer - not ANY heavy data usage

15:52Lorena K Williams: I don't understand "ck the signal strength accessing" - I get a choice of several wifi's sometimes (that I can't access b/c they are protected) but they will say fair, strong, etc.

15:52Lorena K Williams: If I ck it at my house, duh, it's excellent. I don't NEED the stupid thing at my house! I need it out in the work field

15:53Lorena K Williams: anything else you'd like to say? (5 minutes since last comment from Customer Support (or Cust Support, if you prefer...LOL)

15:54XXX: You can also verify the coverage in the area.

15:54XXX: http://www.truconnect.com/coverage/

15:54Lorena K Williams: is there any way I can make it change from hunting at&t? 

15:55Lorena K Williams: If I decide I no longer want to use this mifi, do I just close my account or what?

15:55Adrian P: The service is provided trhu Sprint network. (M'Bad, I thought it was AT&T!!!)

15:55Lorena K Williams: Okay, well sprint isn't working for me either

15:56Lorena K Williams: It just finds NOTHING

15:56Adrian P: You can log into your account and click on deactivate that will stop the service and charges.

15:56Lorena K Williams: Okay. Thanks for the tips.

 

Oh, and by the by, I did in fact check the coverage in the area, as the cust service person suggested above.  Guess what?  The entire area in question from yesterday showed strong signals.  Now, I don't know exactly what "range" they are talking about (and the cust service person didn't elaborate) but seriously, how far could I be from a Sprint tower about 5 miles north of Dallas?  And if they mean how far away from the little gizmo I am, well...it was 5 feet away.  Either way, obviously my expectations were set WAY too high because it simply never worked.

 

Here endeth my personal review of this inept little device.

 

 

Great Joke! Sweet Revenge!

After 37 years of marriage. Jake dumped his wife for his Young secretary.

His new girlfriend demanded that they live in Jake and Edith's multi-million dollar home and since the man's lawyers were a little better he prevailed.

He gave Edith his now ex-wife just 3 days to move out. She spent the 1st day packing her belongings into boxes crates and suitcases.
On the 2nd day she had to movers come and collect her things.

On the 3rd day she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candlelight put on some soft background music and feasted on a pound of shrimp a jar of caviar and a bottle of Chardonnay.

When she had finished she went into each and every room and stuffed half-eaten shrimp shells dipped in caviar into the hollow of all of the curtain rods. She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.

When the husband returned with his new girlfriend all was bliss for the first few days.

Then slowly the house began to smell. They tried everything cleaning mopping and airing the place out. Vents were checked for dead rodents and carpets were cleaned. Air fresheners were hung everywhere.
Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters during which they had to move out for a few days and in the end they even replaced the expensive wool carpeting. NOTHING WORKED.

People stopped coming over to visit. Repairman refused to work in the house.

The Maid quit.

Finally they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move.

A month later even through they had cut their price in half they could not find a buyer for their stinky house.

Word got out and eventually even the local realtors refused to return their calls. Finally they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.

The ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going. He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house back.

Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was he agreed on a price that was about 1/10th of what the house ha been worth, but only if she were to sign the papers that very day. She agreed and within the hour his lawyers delivered the paperwork.

A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home.

INCLUDING THE CURTAIN RODS.:)

Updated 11-15-16

While I agree that the matter is of Barack Obama's eligibility to be President of the Unites States is now of little importance and is quite moot at this time, I still feel the subject needs to be handled correctly so we never find ourselves in this awkward situation again.  One of the last rulings on this subject was made several years ago by Florida Circuit Judge Kevin Carroll, who then said he was done with arguments over Barack Obama’s eligibility. (Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/judge-orders-eligibility-attorney-to-stay-away/#ueEkyi0oj2016lyK.99  )

In this ruling, Judge Carroll stated that he has no jurisdiction over this matter, and according to the research I did over a year ago, he is correct.

The important thing I found in my research is this:

 Right now, most states, including Texas, my home state, require only an affidavit from each political party, sworn to by the national party chairman and secretary, that they have verified the eligibility of each candidate they want placed on their state ballot.  But courts have ruled that the burden of proof rests on the states, which are the actual conductors of elections.

Without state laws requiring individual state verification of the eligibility documents, there is no source but the candidate's party members swearing to his/her eligibility.  No matter what political party we're talking about, that does sound a little like leaving the fox in charge of the hen house, doesn't it?

Below is my information as of  Sept. 20, 2011 (some information has changed, such as the submission of the online long-form Hawaii birth certificate).  The fact that STILL remains is no state has yet put the necessary law into effect that would stop this situation from recurring.  This is up to our state representatives and we all need to focus on THEM to fix this for future elections.  Judges cannot rule on something that is not in their jurisdiction; we need state laws to make it their jurisdiction. 

Below is a summarization of my previous research.  

I have just read a book by Jerome Corsi, PhD (Harvard) entitled "Where's the Birth Certificate".  He addresses the issues surrounding Obama's eligibility to be President of the US.  If you are interested in reading this book, most local libraries will have it or be able to find it for you.  The book is not a "light" read but there is a summation in Chapter 12 that is really helpful. 

In the book, I learned that through all the lawsuits that have been filed, so far no one has prevailed in getting Obama to release his long-form birth certificate from Hawaii.  (After my original writing, a online long form certificate was subsequently filed.)  He has spent $1.5 Million dollars in legal fees to defend all lawsuits and challenges.  His passport records and those of his relatives have been sealed by the State Dept.

As it turns out, the courts (civil and military) have ruled that there is no law anywhere that requires him to provide these documents.  The Congress would have to start an impeachment process to finalize this and with Congress as tied up as they are now, that's not likely to happen.  Even if it did, what a circus it would turn out to be!

Right now, most states, including Texas, require only an affidavit from each political party, sworn to by the national party chairman and secretary, that they have verified the eligibility of each candidate they want placed on their state ballot.  The courts have ruled that the burden of proof actually rests on the states, which are the actual conductors of elections. 

What is needed are state election laws requiring the actual documents that prove eligibility, i. e., age, citizenship, residency, and in the case of the presidency "natural born". 

I know there was much concern about Obama's eligibility but if you read the Corsi book, you will see that without a law as I've described above, enacted in the individual states, this issue could come up again and be much worse in years to come. 

As it stands now, a child could be born here, conveying natural born citizenship, then live his/her life anywhere else in the world.  By becoming resident in the US for 14 years, this child upon reaching proper age, would fit the definition of "natural born".  Change to that would require a constitutional amendment. 

In the meantime, requiring candidates to show credentials that prove they meet the requirements to hold the office of President can be solved by the states.  It's a loophole that needs to be closed ASAP by as many states as possible.  Of course, each state's law may be dragged all the way to the Supreme Court to determine its constitutionality and that could take years but we need to start the process.  Maybe we can no longer trust only the political parties to perform the proper verification needed?

It is very easy to contact our representatives via the internet these days.  Here is the link for the Texas House of Representatives http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/  It is possible to email not only your own representative but all of them, plus the Lt. Governor, and all the TX Senators as well.  If you agree this loophole needs to be closed, submit the request to the proper representatives in your state. 


 Sample letter or email:

I am writing to request that {State Name} enact a law requiring actual, physical credentials from candidates before they are placed on a voting ballot.  Specifically, that they meet requirements of citizenship, residency, age, and natural-born status (presidential requirement). 

It is my understanding that currently TX requires only an affidavit (or similar document) signed by political party chairman and clerk stating that they have verified these credentials.

Please lend your support to initiate or pass such election law.