Yesterday was the testimony from the injured woman’s children. Pretty emotional testimony from her daughter who claims as soon as she saw her mother in the hospital room after the initial operation her mom was unattended, with blood all over her gown and that she had to go get a nurse. This was in contradiction to what every other witness has said. She also testified that when she went in to see her mom after the second trip to the OR (when she got the brain damage) her mother was convulsing and none of the staff had warned her of her mother’s condition. Anyone who has seen their mother convulsing (I have) can tell you how traumatic it is.
Her son testified he didn’t realize how bad things were until his mom was taken to a Seattle hospital in a drug induced coma (because of the seizures). At the time this happened he was just a teenager in school. He talked of the change in her and how hard it is to see.
The hospital and doctor’s attorneys treated the children with kid gloves. I thought they would have jumped all over the conflicting testimony that was given about their mother being unattended. They may not have because it would have highlighted the testimony. It’s hard to say what their strategy is.
On an aside one of the jurors was wearing the same palm tree covered shirt he was wearing the day before. Must be a bachelor……
About this Blog
I am wanting to do something no one is using the blog for and I just want to get some dialog rolling about the direction we want this to go in, before I start changing it up . Here are my questions:
1. What is the general purpose of this blog? If we were to have a mission statement, how would it read?
(personal note - I feel like me thinking about this as a business plan is the result of a late 90's and early 00's education. Would a mission statement have crossed your mind if you were in your mid twenties right now?)
2. What do you not want on this blog?
3. How do you feel about where it is at right now?
1. What is the general purpose of this blog? If we were to have a mission statement, how would it read?
(personal note - I feel like me thinking about this as a business plan is the result of a late 90's and early 00's education. Would a mission statement have crossed your mind if you were in your mid twenties right now?)
2. What do you not want on this blog?
3. How do you feel about where it is at right now?
The Progressive Revolution
I have to announce that I have had a lot to smoke in the last hour before you read this.
I am watching today's The Young Turks (TYT)and Cenk is interviewing a man called Mike Lux who wrote a book called The Progressive Revolution. He put things in a perspective I have never thought of before. He is saying that a lot of people working in the White House are from earlier generations and they really don't understand modern politics, meaning that they aren't online. They aren't getting online news, they aren't exposed to news we get in blogs, and they don't truly understand how the online community works in terms of votes and demographics... My mind was blown.
We shouldn't be thinking, as I have been, that because all of this stuff that is common knowledge to us is common knowledge to those working in this administration. Just because the Obama campaign was web-savvy and was on a 24 hour news cycle, it doesn't mean the people they have brought in after winning are on the level. Meaning that Obama may be progressive and reading this stuff, but the people in the environment we've put him in are ALL operating in a print environment. Does that all mean the same thing to you as it does to me?
Think about it. Where do you get your real in depth news and exposes? I get mine from AmericaBlog, DailyKos, Rachel Maddow - Stewart - Colbert (clips on the internet bc i dont have tv). Do we really think the wrinkly men with white hair in Washington from the Justice Department, FDA, Federal Reserve, etc are blogging? They are probably reading print only and then the Sunday shows. Do you really think all our Senators are blogging too? I think this deep divide we have in our country right now is the result of our older populations are living in different system altogether. They are voting accordingly as well.
Did this all come across as a new substantial thought to you in the way that it was to me? It certainly explains a few things a little bit to me, like why Obama has hired so many fucktards. It also gives me a little more hope that Obama is who we voted for, but the environment the office of the president operates was so insanely corrupt that it is taking time to operate in a print world, coming from the digital world.
I'll have to read this when I'm a little more grounded to check for errors and stuff, but I am really proud of this post. This author hit me an epiphany, and I'm definitely going to check out his book: The Progressive Revolution.
Cosmos Magazine, Newest Update
This is a very interesting e-magazine update that comes out on a weekly basis. The newest edition as always has some fascinating articles.
http://www.vision6.com.au/em/mail/view.php?id=1514816236&k=20e3b71
http://www.vision6.com.au/em/mail/view.php?id=1514816236&k=20e3b71
2016
Oprah is going to Denmark next week to lobby the IOC for the Chicago Olympic bid.
Winfrey's addition adds some serious star power to what was already an impressive delegation. First lady Michelle Obama will lead the group and be joined by 14 Olympic and two Paralympic gold medalists, including Michael Johnson, Nadia Comaneci, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Nastia Liukin. Ten other Olympians and Paralympians also are going.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/23/oprah-joining-star-studde_n_297489.html
I guess Obama is consider personally lobby on behalf of the country now as well. I hope he does. If we pull out the big guns, this is in the bag. The following quote comes from Obama in a letter to the IOC. Apparently, the issue is of national priority. This has all taken a positive turn in the 11th hour. I really hope we host this gig.
As President, I see the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games as an extraordinary opportunity for America to renew our bonds of friendship and welcome the world to our shores with open arms," he said. "If you honor Chicago with your selection, we will ensure that the Olympic and Paralympic Games are a key priority for our nation.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/22/obama-sends-letter-to-ioc_n_294525.html
Contribution
I've been taking a sabbatical of sorts the past two weeks maybe. I have no idea what is going on in the world, I just heard that Patrick Swayze died - tragic. I read the blog everyday and refresh it a few times every night, even though I haven't been commenting. Since I don't know what has been going on and I feel like I should leave a post, I want to share something genius with you. This sketch is called Penelope - Therapy from SNL. Who ever this woman is.... She is fucking genius in everything I've seen her in. Generally I've hated SNL since like 2003. This has NPH and LIZA in it too. You can't go wrong. Enjoy.
Trial Day Seven
Some of the jurors are starting to slump in their chairs. A couple of them are closing their eyes. The testimony is getting repetitive. This is one of the worst kinds of trials for jurors. Both sides will have experts that say different things and the laymen (and women) on the jury have to sort it all out. The worst trials are the “he said she said” child molestation cases.
The woman’s attorneys are not doing themselves any favors by having this repetitive testimony. This county’s jurors are notoriously stingy when determining lawsuit awards. She is asking for millions and as good as her case may be there is a high chance she will get less than the low end of what they are asking.
I don’t remember what most of the jurors financial status is (a handful look retired) but we only pay them $10.00 a day plus mileage for each day of the next several weeks they are taking out of their regular lives to be here. They don’t get overtime when we run late which is constantly.
For all the platitudes made to jurors about appreciating their service they sure are treated shabbily.
The woman’s attorneys are not doing themselves any favors by having this repetitive testimony. This county’s jurors are notoriously stingy when determining lawsuit awards. She is asking for millions and as good as her case may be there is a high chance she will get less than the low end of what they are asking.
I don’t remember what most of the jurors financial status is (a handful look retired) but we only pay them $10.00 a day plus mileage for each day of the next several weeks they are taking out of their regular lives to be here. They don’t get overtime when we run late which is constantly.
For all the platitudes made to jurors about appreciating their service they sure are treated shabbily.
We have been saved!
A group called the Yes Men had the audacity to claim they were from Halliburton and gave a presentation of their "Survivaballs" at a catastrophic loss conference. Read about it here.
Another stunt was to create a fake New York Post.
These are great ideas to wake people up to the climate change catastrophe. I don't know why I had never heard of these guys until just the other day.
Trial Day Six
The anesthesiologist was still on the stand this morning. Second witness today was a neuropsychologist (the branch of neurology that studies behavior, especially in disorders such as epilepsy, memory loss, or speech impairment). He testified that the injured woman struggled with the tests he gave her and had trouble expressing herself with language. Did I mention she is on the list of witnesses…
Third up was a nurse who does life care planning. She described the injured woman as having seizures, incontinent, requires assistance with all activities of daily living, and has sudden, sometimes violent, muscle jerks. Two people are required to get her out of bed. She is on upwards of 20 some medications. When asked if she can do anything independently the answer was “Watch TV”. And when the nurse testified about the woman possibly being in her own home the woman’s husband started clapping. After the jury left the Judge gave him a talkin’ to.
Last night I was wondering who is paying for the care of the brain injured woman. She is in a nursing home full time, has been for years, and that can’t be cheap. Today the issue came up outside the presence of the jury. It turns out the state, DSHS, is picking up the tab. Suing the doctors and hospital is not for the money to care for her. If she wins any substantial funds they will most likely, according to the arguing attorneys, go into a special needs trust so she doesn’t lose her state funds.
I’m not sure how I feel about that.
Third up was a nurse who does life care planning. She described the injured woman as having seizures, incontinent, requires assistance with all activities of daily living, and has sudden, sometimes violent, muscle jerks. Two people are required to get her out of bed. She is on upwards of 20 some medications. When asked if she can do anything independently the answer was “Watch TV”. And when the nurse testified about the woman possibly being in her own home the woman’s husband started clapping. After the jury left the Judge gave him a talkin’ to.
Last night I was wondering who is paying for the care of the brain injured woman. She is in a nursing home full time, has been for years, and that can’t be cheap. Today the issue came up outside the presence of the jury. It turns out the state, DSHS, is picking up the tab. Suing the doctors and hospital is not for the money to care for her. If she wins any substantial funds they will most likely, according to the arguing attorneys, go into a special needs trust so she doesn’t lose her state funds.
I’m not sure how I feel about that.
Monday
Another juror was lost today due to a family emergency. We are down to twelve jurors and one alternate for the next 4 weeks of trial.
Today was testimony from a spinal doctor, a nurse and an anesthesiologist all who testified that the standard of care was not met. The only thing worthy of note today is that the attorneys are getting testy with each other. One side going as far as saying the other side was paranoid and wasting time with objections.
I hope the lack of posts means everyone is out enjoying what is left of the summer.
Today was testimony from a spinal doctor, a nurse and an anesthesiologist all who testified that the standard of care was not met. The only thing worthy of note today is that the attorneys are getting testy with each other. One side going as far as saying the other side was paranoid and wasting time with objections.
I hope the lack of posts means everyone is out enjoying what is left of the summer.