MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'fourth'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:05:46 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997645&cid=t_220277_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FcStNIo4rV5g%2F I hope that everyone is enjoying this wonderful Fourth of July. I know I’ve had a great day so far and we’re gearing up to head to KFC and enjoy some fireworks with friends. Should be a great evening if the kids don’t get too cranky along the way. It has been a great day for me to remember how lucky I am to live in this wonderful country. There are plenty of things that are messed up in this country, but over all the freedoms we enjoy and benefits of living in America far outweigh the down sides. As I typed in the title of this post, I wondered what other things do I wish had their freedom when it came to the EMR world. First thing that came to mind was data independence. How beautiful would it be if our healthcare data was independent. I’m sure the ePatients out t... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997645 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 01:04:08 +0100 4997645 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997513&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FuimXbRgu1h8%2F By David BoazAt the Britannica Blog I take a look at the founding ideas of the United States and the Communist Party of China, both of which are celebrating anniversaries this weekend: The ideas of the Declaration, given legal form in the Constitution, took the United States of America from a small frontier outpost on the edge of the developed world to the richest country in the world in scarcely a century. The country failed in many ways to live up to the vision of the Declaration, notably in the institution of chattel slavery. But over the next two centuries that vision inspired Americans to extend the promises of the Declaration—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—to more and more people. China of course followed a different vision. Take the speech of Mao Zedong on July 1,... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997513 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:43:57 +0100 4997513 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992690&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ffourth-of-july-top-tips-for-fireworks-safety%2F2011.07.01 As the 4th of July approaches, I’ve begun to hear fireworks exploding in my neighborhood.  It’s been dry here, so in addition to the risk of injuring a person, there is a risk of setting the fields on fire.  I sure hope my neighbors are being responsible. I hope you will all have a safe and happy July 4th.  Be safe and stay out of the ER. Please use the following tips: Never allow children to play with or ignite fireworks.  A responsible adult should be in charge. Read and follow all warnings and instructions. Be sure other people are out-of-range before lighting fireworks. Small children should be kept a safe distance from the fireworks; older children that use fireworks need to be carefully supervised. Do not smoke when handling any type of “live” firecracker, rocke... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992690 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4992690 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893395&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FViJgaSkD9x8%2F By George Scoville “PBS used to ask, ‘If not PBS, then who?’ The answer now is: HBO, Bravo, Discovery, History, History International, Science, Planet Green, Sundance, Military, C-SPAN 1/2/3 and many more.” “The fiscal problem that is destroying U.S. economic confidence is not the fiscal balance, however. It is the level of government expenditures relative to GDP.” “The Pentagon’s first cyber security strategy… builds on national hysteria about threats to cybersecurity, the latest bogeyman to justify our bloated national security state.” “How ‘secure’ do our homes remain if police, armed with no warrant, can pound on doors at will and, on hearing sounds indicative of things moving, forcibly enter and search for evide... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893395 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:07:34 +0100 4893395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841433&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmYoiRBgTDyI%2F By George Scoville “Consistent bets for higher oil prices in futures markets have not been particularly lucrative.” “The vast, swaying bulk of America’s military has absolutely nothing to do with effectively combating terrorism—including the large land armies that we deploy to Muslim countries in efforts to destroy and then reconstitute their states.” “‘Poking and prodding’ is what good government does to perfect strangers. And that’s what the Obama administration has been doing, with unusual zeal, for the past 2 1/2 years.” The Cato 2011 State Legislative Guide is designed to help state policymakers free their constituents from the burden of overextended government and addresses unfunded pension liabilities, ballooning Medicaid enr... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841433 Thu, 19 May 2011 14:29:22 +0100 4841433 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813260&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTRqxGl4BsSo%2F By Ilya ShapiroToday, the Fourth Circuit became the first appellate court in the nation to enter the Obamacare fray.  It heard two very similar cases back-to-back, Liberty University’s, in which the government won in the district court, and the Commonwealth of Virginia’s, in which Judge Henry Hudson struck down the individual mandate back in December.  Going into the hearing, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s legal team had done a wonderful job setting out the reasons why Hudson was correct and why Congress went too far in asserting the unprecedented power to compel people to enter into contracts with private insurance companies.  I was proud to sign Cato’s brief supporting that position and continue to maintain that the federal government cannot require people to buy g... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813260 Tue, 10 May 2011 17:57:12 +0100 4813260 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780346&cid=t_220277_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F03%2Fwho-knew-no-networking-on-the-social-networking-site-facebook%2F Silly me. I was thinking that the social networking site currently named Facebook could prove to be an effective networking tool. I humbly admit that I am one of those media whores who friends New York Times journalists not so much so that I can get to know them and eventually invite them over to my home for a nice meal my husband can whip up, but so that I can pitch them a story via Facebook mail and save myself and the technology company for whom I do some publicity about four grand a year, the average cost of a sophisticated media database and press release distribution service. I’m cheap and I’m tacky. Yes I am. Proud of it! Is that why I’ve been placed on probation? Yes. A two-day probation. Like the kind I used to get in Catholic grade school when I couldn’t s... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780346 Tue, 03 May 2011 18:00:13 +0100 4780346 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4709194&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FuJSybkJzWsw%2F By Jim HarperEvery lover of liberty and the Constitution should be offended by the moniker “Privacy Bill of Rights” appended to regulatory legislation Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and John McCain (R-AZ) introduced yesterday. As C|Net’s Declan McCullagh points out, the legislation exempts the federal government and law enforcement: [T]he measure applies only to companies and some nonprofit groups, not to the federal, state, and local police agencies that have adopted high-tech surveillance technologies including cell phone tracking, GPS bugs, and requests to Internet companies for users’ personal information–in many cases without obtaining a search warrant from a judge. The real “Privacy Bill of Rights” is in the Bill of Rights. It’s the Fourth ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4709194 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:09:53 +0100 4709194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684267&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fsk7oM6IAdb0%2F By Julian SanchezI've written before about the "Mosaic Theory" some courts have recently employed to conclude that certain forms of government surveillance may trigger Fourth Amendment protection in the aggregate, even if the surveillance can be broken down into components that don't fall under the traditional definition of a Fourth Amendment "search." This has been applied specifically to high-tech forms of location tracking, where several judges have concluded that a person may have a privacy interest in the totality of their public movements over a long period of time, even though observing a person at any particular public place in a specific instance is not an intrusion on privacy. I've explained in that previous post why I find this reasoning compelling. Legal scholar Orin Kerr, howe... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684267 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 18:56:27 +0100 4684267 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676753&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXPS5OEq8Kyk%2F By Ilya ShapiroA recent poll showed that 22% of Americans believe Obamacare has been repealed and 26% aren’t sure.  Yet here at Cato, we're all too aware that the massive, unconstitutional, and fundamentally unworkable overhaul of our health care system still looms on the horizon. While two lower courts have struck down Obamacare in whole or in part, three others have ruled it constitutional, including a D.C. District Court opinion that claimed for the federal government the right to regulate the “mental activity” of decision-making.  As litigation progresses to the appellate level, this latter decision has proven to be more a hindrance to Obamacare’s supporters than a help, its Orwellian pronouncement being hard to ignore while the government downplays the significance of the po... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676753 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:54:33 +0100 4676753 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636413&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1dImHb3owjo%2F By Gene HealyRecently, I've been blogging over at the Washington Examiner's lively "Beltway Confidential" site, mostly on the subject of congressional war powers and President Obama's Libyan adventure. Today's post, "Obama Makes 'Kinetic Military Action' on the English Language" has a little fun with the administration's wordgames and the legal rationales behind them. Other posts and a column on the subject are here, here, and here. Today also brings a pair of columns--in the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, respectively--from conservative luminaries defending the notion that Obama has the constitutional power to bomb Libya without congressional authorization. Yoo, the legal architect of George W. Bush's Terror Presidency, chides Tea Party Republicans like Jason Chaffetz of Uta... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636413 Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:31:45 +0100 4636413 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4482743&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsSzbK8YDm8U%2F By John SamplesSenator Rand Paul is moving beyond economic issues. His critique of the Patriot Act may be found here. Sen. Paul lauds James Otis, Jr, the most important opponent of the writs of assistance imposed by the British prior to the American Revolution.  By invoking the name of this great patriot, Sen. Paul is trying to recall for Americans the original meaning of our Revolution and Constitution. He is practicing a politics of the original public meaning of America. An astonishing performance. Sen. Paul and the Writs of Assistance is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4482743 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:46:27 +0100 4482743 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455251&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FR6X94r2j9hw%2F By Julian SanchezFirst, the good news: Last night, civil libertarians had a rare excuse to pop champagne when an effort to fast-track a one-year reauthorization of three controversial Patriot Act provisions--set to expire at the end of the month--failed in the House of Representatives. As Slate's Dave Weigel notes, the vote had been seen as such a sure thing that Politico headlined its story on the pending vote "Congress set to pass Patriot Act extension." Around this time last year, a similar extension won House approval by a lopsided 315-97 vote. Now the reality check: The large majority of representatives also voted for reauthorization last night: 277 for, 148 against. The vote failed only because GOP leadership had sought to ram the bill through under a "suspension of the rules"--a str... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4455251 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:07:00 +0100 4455251 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405755&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1iNgb5-si-Q%2F By Jim HarperThis afternoon I briefly attended a meeting of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority board to comment on the question whether there should be random bag searches in the D.C. area’s subway system. A variety of other liberty loving D.C.-area residents spoke up against bag searches, noting the weakness of the practice in terms of security, the privacy consequences, and the insult to Metro riders in treating all as suspects. The chairman of the Riders Advisory Council asked that the program be suspended. Along with restating the security weakness of random bag searches—it simply transfers risk from one station to another, from the subway to busses, or from the Metro system to other infrastructure—I emphasized the strategic consequences of the policy:... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405755 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 21:43:57 +0100 4405755 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4330995&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FzSsVgh--nzU%2F By Julian SanchezThis weekend, we learned that the U.S. government last month demanded records associated with the Twitter accounts of several supporters of WikiLeaks—including American citizens and an elected member of Iceland’s parliament. As the New York Times observes, the only remarkable thing about the government’s request is that we’re learning about it, thanks to efforts by Twitter’s legal team to have the order unsealed. It seems a virtual certainty that companies like Facebook and Google have received similar demands. Most news reports are misleadingly describing the order [PDF] as a “subpoena” when in actuality it’s a judicially-authorized order under 18 U.S.C §2703(d), colloquially known (to electronic surveillance geeks) as a &#8220... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4330995 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 22:01:46 +0100 4330995 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4207280&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fn04V4GSo1dE%2F By Jim HarperWriting in the Washington Post, George Washington University law professor Jeffrey Rosen carefully concludes, “there’s a strong argument that the TSA’s measures violate the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.” The strip/grope policy doesn’t carefully escalate through levels of intrusion the way a better designed program using more privacy protective technology could. It’s a good constutional technician’s analysis. But Professor Rosen doesn’t broach one of the most important likely determinants of Fourth Amendment reasonableness: the risk to air travel these searches are meant to reduce. Writing in Politico last week, I pointed out that there have been 99 million domestic flights in the last decad... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4207280 Sun, 28 Nov 2010 23:30:32 +0100 4207280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3987039&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTYd4fkSARtk%2F By Julian SanchezThe law normally advances by small and cautious steps—by the gradual extension of established precedents and rules to novel problems and fact patterns. Little wonder, then, that tricky questions of law often amount to conflicts between competing metaphors. Is a hard drive like a closed briefcase whose contents are all fair game for police once the “container” is legitimately opened? Or is it more like a warehouse containing hundreds or thousands of individual closed containers? If the latter, what are the “containers”? Directories? Individual files? A similar metaphor war figures in the FBI’s effort to expand its authority to acquire information from Internet Service Providers using National Security Letters, which are issued by agents witho... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3987039 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:33:22 +0100 3987039 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3862003&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fem9DHbqcQio%2F By Julian SanchezThe Electronic Frontier Foundation trumpets a surprising privacy win last week in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. In U.S. v. Maynard (PDF), the court held that the use of a GPS tracking device to monitor the public movements of a vehicle—something the Supreme Court had held not to constitute a Fourth Amendment search in U.S. v Knotts—could nevertheless become a search when conducted over an extended period.  The Court in Knotts had considered only tracking that encompassed a single journey on a particular day, reasoning that the target of surveillance could have no “reasonable expectation of privacy” in the fact of a trip that any member of the public might easily observe. But the Knotts Court explicitly reserved judgment on potential uses ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3862003 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 01:22:10 +0100 3862003 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3858137&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fem9DHbqcQio%2F By Julian SanchezThe Electronic Frontier Foundation trumpets a surprising privacy win last week in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. In U.S. v. Maynard (PDF), the court held that the use of a GPS tracking device to monitor the public movements of a vehicle—something the Supreme Court had held not to constitute a Fourth Amendment search in U.S. v Knotts—could nevertheless become a search when conducted over an extended period.  The Court in Knotts had considered only tracking that encompassed a single journey on a particular day, reasoning that the target of surveillance could have no “reasonable expectation of privacy” in the fact of a trip that any member of the public might easily observe. But the Knotts Court explicitly reserved judgment on potential uses ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3858137 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 01:22:10 +0100 3858137 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3802373&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3K0qVu6Hoeo%2F By Jim HarperFourth Amendment: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” Supreme Court (Katz v. U.S.): “[S]earches conducted outside the judicial process, without prior approval by judge or magistrate, are per se unreasonable under the Fourth Amendment—subject only to a few specifically established and well delineated exceptions.” Washington Post: “The Obama administration is seeking to make it easier for the FBI to compel companies to turn over records of an individ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3802373 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:58:09 +0100 3802373 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3721742&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fkids-reenact-the-american-revolution-ridiculously-cute-video-of-the-day%2F Sometimes we get so caught up in all the fireworks, hot dogs, and beer that we forget about the true meaning of the Fourth of July: Absurdly adorable children. Oh, and the American Revolution. Yet somehow, we thought our forefathers would be taller. Post from: BlissTree Kids Reenact the American Revolution: Ridiculously Cute Video of the Day (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3721742 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:05:40 +0100 3721742 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3794807&cid=t_220277_93_f&fid=34787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthegirlwiththebluesteth.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fenough-already.html I am so exhausted right now. I feel like I just want to lie down and sleep for months. I am happiest when I'm busy and have a list of things to do, but right now I just get to sit back and watch the anaesthetist do most things, and when the surgery is happening, I am pretty much watching somebody watch somebody else, which is the most exhausting kind of watching of all. I would jump in and assist the surgeon, except there are third-year medical students on prac who should be doing it before me.I would jump in and help intubate or put lines in, except there is a paramedic student there who takes precedence. I can sort-of see the point of this, except she is only in her second year out of four and is not very keen to touch a real patient, and I am in my last year and almost a doctor and will... The Girl with the Blue Steth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3794807 Tue, 11 May 2010 06:43:00 +0100 3794807 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3424830&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FniqsTHnIV0w%2F By Julian SanchezImagine for a moment that all your computing devices had to run on code that had been written in 1986. Your smartphone is, alas, entirely out of luck, but your laptop or desktop computer might be able to get online using a dial-up modem. But you’d better be happy with a command-line interface to services like e-mail, Usenet, and Telnet, because the only “Web browsers” anyone’s heard of in 1986 are entomologists. Cloud computing? Location based services? Social networking? No can do, though you can still get into a raging debate about the relative merits of Macs and PCs. When it comes to federal privacy law, alas, we are running on code written in 1986: The Elecronic Communications Privacy Act, a statute that’s not only ludicrously out of date,... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3424830 Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:50:41 +0100 3424830 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327181&cid=t_220277_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fmarch-forth-and-tell-us-hows-your-ms-today%2F Tomorrow is the only day I know of which sounds like an order: “March Fourth!” So, we do…with MS, we March Forth! Every month we take a moment and assess our MS symptoms, treatments, coping mechanisms, triumphs and tribulations; our lives with MS. Today, have a check-in moment with yourself and answer the question; “How is your MS today?” My MS has been static the past several weeks.  I’m pretty glad as I have not been!  Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten used to the “stuff” MS has already taken away, but life with MS has been alright (relative) this past four weeks.  Anyway, I’ve had a lot going on (I’ve already traveled away from home 2 weeks on three trips this year…and it’s only the third month!) and I’m happy that I haven’t had any new stuff to deal with... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327181 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:34:58 +0100 3327181 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3306819&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTY8S8vDkpz8%2F By Jim HarperEverybody’s wrong. That’s sort of the message I was putting out when I wrote my 2008 American University Law Review law review article entitled “Reforming Fourth Amendment Privacy Doctrine.” A lot of people have poured a lot of effort into the “reasonable expectation of privacy” formulation Justice Harlan wrote about in his concurrence to the 1967 decision in U.S. v. Katz. But the Fourth Amendment isn’t about people’s expectations or the reasonableness of their expectations. It’s about whether, as a factual matter, they have concealed information from others—and whether the government is being reasonable in trying to discover that information. The upshot of the “reasonable expectation of privacy” form... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3306819 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:42:26 +0100 3306819 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3298294&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Ffz1ayA38wus%2F By Julian SanchezLast week, I noted the strange story of a lawsuit filed by parents who allege that their son was spied on by school officials who used security software capable of remotely activating the webcams in laptops distributed to students. A bit more information on that case has since come out. The school district has issued a statement which doesn’t get into the details of the case, but avers that the remote camera capability has only ever been used in an effort to locate laptops believed to have been lost or stolen. (That apparently includes a temporary “loaner computer that, against regulations, might be taken off campus.”)  They do, however, acknowledge that they erred in failing to notify parents about this capability.  The lawyer for the student plaintiff... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3298294 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:46:14 +0100 3298294 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3298393&cid=t_220277_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F23%2Fthe-situation-of-suspicion%2F This article examines this claim by exploring in depth the cognitive biases and abilities that serve respectively as obstacles to, and opportunities for, police making accurate judgments about individualized suspicion. The article concludes that requiring police consciously to justify their intuitions can improve their accuracy, that the greatest accuracy comes from constructing institutions in a way that combines the best of unconscious intuition with more systematic critique, and that police training can be improved in various ways to enhance cognitive accuracy about the individualized suspicion judgment. * * * For a sample of related Situationist posts, see “The Legal Situation of the Underclass,” “Jennifer Eberhardt’s “Policing Racial Bias” – Video,” and “Th... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3298393 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:01:00 +0100 3298393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3294575&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3sDdbKW5uvI%2F By Daniel J. MitchellI recently publicized an interesting map showing that so-called tax havens are not hotbeds of dirty money. A more fundamental question is whether anti-money laundering laws are an effective way of fighting crime — particularly since they substantially undermine privacy. In this new six-minute video, I ask whether it’s time to radically rethink a system that costs billions of dollars each year, forces banks to snoop on their customers, and misallocates law enforcement resources. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3294575 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:42:38 +0100 3294575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3266893&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F2Tlfs0GLUXQ%2F By Jim HarperIf you have a mobile phone, that’s the upshot of an argument being put forward by the government in a case being argued before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals tomorrow. The case is called In the Matter of the Application of the United States of America For An Order Directing A Provider of Electronic Communication Service To Disclose Records to the Government. Declan McCullagh reports: In that case, the Obama administration has argued that Americans enjoy no “reasonable expectation of privacy” in their—or at least their cell phones’—whereabouts. U.S. Department of Justice lawyers say that “a customer’s Fourth Amendment rights are not violated when the phone company reveals to the government its own records” that show wher... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3266893 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:50:35 +0100 3266893 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3067020&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fm66_gUCalMs%2F By Julian SanchezI’ve just gotten around to reading Orin Kerr’s fine paper “Applying the Fourth Amendment to the Internet: A General Approach.”  Like most everything he writes on the topic of technology and privacy, it is thoughtful and worth reading.  Here, from the abstract, are the main conclusions: First, the traditional physical distinction between inside and outside should be replaced with the online distinction between content and non-content information. Second, courts should require a search warrant that is particularized to individuals rather than Internet accounts to collect the contents of protected Internet communications. These two principles point the way to a technology-neutral translation of the Fourth Amendment from physical space to cyberspace. ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3067020 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:32:35 +0100 3067020 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2939274&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmHspvR8s3dw%2F Last night I spoke at “The Little Idea,” a mini-lecture series launched in New York by Ari Melber of The Nation and now starting up here in D.C., on the incredibly civilized premise that, instead of some interminable panel that culminates in a series of audience monologues-disguised-as-questions, it’s much more appealing to have a speaker give a ten-minute spiel, sort of as a prompt for discussion, and then chat with the crowd over drinks. I’d sketched out a rather longer version of my remarks in advance just to make sure I had my main ideas clear, and so I’ll post them here, as a sort of preview of a rather longer and more formal paper on 21st century surveillance and privacy that I’m working on. Since ten-minute talks don’t accommodate footnotes ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2939274 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:07:10 +0100 2939274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2934661&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRNTaoEf6zdY%2F . . . and it’s sinking its fangs into Americans’ civil liberties. Here’s a story about a “VIPR” team performing a “sting” operation on innocent Americans at a bus terminal in Florida, searching their persons and bags and discovering their petty crimes. It’s almost a certainty that whoever named this sub-unit of the Department of Homeland Security thought it was a clever way to convey machismo and give a sense of mission to members of VIPR teams. But it also illustrates how the 9/11 terrorist attacks have caused the United States to lose its grip and behave like a cornered snake rather than a strong, free country. The natural illogic of VIPR stings is that terrorism can strike anywhere, so VIPR teams should search anywhere. It’s the und... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2934661 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:55:04 +0100 2934661 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2898921&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FaLvOQkVlIs0%2F Last week, I wrote a piece for Reason in which I took a close look at the USA PATRIOT Act’s “lone wolf” provision—set to expire at the end of the year, though almost certain to be renewed—and argued that it should be allowed to lapse. Originally, I’d planned to survey the whole array of authorities that are either sunsetting or candidates for reform, but ultimately decided it made more sense to give a thorough treatment to one than trying to squeeze an inevitably shallow gloss on four or five complex areas of law into the same space. But the Internets are infinite, so I’ve decided I’d turn the Reason piece into Part I of a continuing series on PATRIOT powers.  In this edition: Section 206, roving wiretap authority. The idea behind a roving wiretap s... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2898921 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:58:07 +0100 2898921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2894637&cid=t_220277_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Ffourth-plinth-one-other-project-ends.html The One & Other Antony Gormley project ended today in Trafalgar Square, London.Among the many media reports and summaries of the project, Laura Hickman who represented Chiari Malformation awareness efforts during her hour on the Fourth Plinth has received additional attention.The Times (UK) cites her hour as being on of the best of the 2400 individual hours in the project and says this about her:"Laura Hickman: held up placards carrying the words of 30 sufferers of rare brain condition Chiari Malformation. Has since persuaded the NHS to recognise the condition, started work for Chicago's Chiari Centre Foundation, and plans to open a UK branch of the charity."Excellent work!Here is a link to the full report: Best of the Trafalgar Square plinthers (14th October, 2009). (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2894637 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:31:00 +0100 2894637 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2883109&cid=t_220277_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Ffourth-plinth-cara-and-shift-multiple.html In the final several days of Antony Gormley's One & Other project on the Fourth Plinth at Trafalgar Square, London, Cara is going to ascend the plinth in support of Multiple Sclerosis awareness.Her plinth hour is 1900 hrs BST, Monday the 12th of October.She writes in her bio:"I thought that this project was an unusual and unique opportunity and so put my name forward. During the hour on the plinth, I am going to try to bring awareness to www.shift.ms - an online community for young people with Multiple Sclerosis. When I was diagnosed with MS, I found the website to be a source of support and reassurance during a weird and shocking time.So, if anyone who is affected by MS, or anyone who'd like to know more about it, you are welcome to become part of the shift.ms community!"Bests wishes, Car... BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2883109 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:31:00 +0100 2883109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2857488&cid=t_220277_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Ffourth-plinth-epilepsy-action-on-one.html Di Flatt, manager of the fundraising team at Epilepsy Action, has her hour on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square at 1700 hrs, Saturday. She is one of the 2400 taking part in Antony Gormley's One & Other project.You can read about Di and view a refeed of her plinth hour at DiFlatt.You can watch her live at One&Other.Read all about the 60th anniversary of Epilepsy Action. (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2857488 Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:21:00 +0100 2857488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855725&cid=t_220277_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Ffourth-plinth-alzheimers-research.html Thomas G., a member of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, was on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square this afternoon to promote Memories Matter. He was one of the 2400 plinthers of Antony Gormley's One & Other project.Watch Tom and listen to his message at Thomas_G.Take a look at the Trust's Memories Matter website. (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855725 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:45:00 +0100 2855725 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2834342&cid=t_220277_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fliving-with-child-with-disabilities.html Early Saturday morning, Gav C, the father of a now-deceased young boy named Tom, spent his hour for the One and Other Antony Gormley project from the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square describing life with his son. It is a narrative extraordinary in its directness.I recommend its viewing for any student training to work with young children with disabilities. You will learn something from it.To view it: Gav C. on the Fourth Plinth (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2834342 Sat, 26 Sep 2009 04:03:00 +0100 2834342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2828338&cid=t_220277_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fone-and-other-fourth-plinth-be-safe-not.html Barbara, a rehabilitation professional, went on Antony Gormley's One and Other Fourth Plinth project in Trafalgar Square yesterday morning.She promoted helmet use for sports and recreational activities and did so in a very nice kiddie-friendly manner.Her hour can be viewed at: oneandother.co.uk/participants/BarbaraJean (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2828338 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:55:00 +0100 2828338 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2823966&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmOxA_hWb6k4%2F While there are many choice tidbits to relate from Tuesday’s hearings on PATRIOT Act reform at the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution—not least the fellow who had to be wrestled from the room, literally kicking and screaming, after he tried to stand and interrupt with a complaint about alleged FBI violations of his civil rights—I’ll just relate a novel theory of the Fourth Amendment advanced by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa). The ACLU’s Mike German, a former FBI agent turned surveillance policy expert, was explaining that it’s hard to know whether expansive surveillance powers are being abused, they’re mostly used in secret and deployed via third-parties like financial institutions and telecoms, who have little incentive to raise ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2823966 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:46:45 +0100 2823966 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2774608&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F610V6EnMXEQ%2F Last week, a coalition of 10 privacy and consumer groups sent letters to Congress advocating legislation to regulate behavioral tracking and advertising, a phrase that actually describes a broad range of practices used by online marketers to monitor and profile Web users for the purpose of delivering targeted ads. While several friends at the Tech Liberation Front have already weighed in on the proposal in broad terms — in a nutshell: they don’t like it — I think it’s worth taking a look at some of the specific concerns raised and remedies proposed. Some of the former strike me as being more serious than the TLF folks allow, but many of the latter seem conspicuously ill-tailored to their ends. First, while it’s certainly true that there are privacy advocates w... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2774608 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:58:31 +0100 2774608 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2703809&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Flabour-can-win-next-general-election.html Elsewhere, Dr Crippen discusses the now real prospect of Labour winning the next general election. And, as always, the NHS is central to the arguments. (Source: NHS Blog Doctor) NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2703809 Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:29:00 +0100 2703809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570989&cid=t_220277_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fputting-pain-aside-to-celebrate-the-4th-of-july%2F Is there any other American holiday that brings back more memories than the Fourth of July? Probably Christmas with all its festivities, lights and symbolism of Christianity; certainly Thanksgiving because of the wonderful food, family and history but the Fourth is special. For many of us it is the holiday that symbolizes the freedom we have come to take for granted.  Its celebration during the warm summer month, the long run of daylight and the National pride it represents; all come together to create memories. Here in the Northwest, and even more so in the state of Alaska, the long daylight hours stall the firework celebrations until late in the evening. The little children try to stay awake for the bursts of glory but don’t always make it. In our community there are always firewo... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570989 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:12:11 +0100 2570989 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2571097&cid=t_220277_134_f&fid=35187&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDiabetesDaily%2F%7E3%2F3yS9I13sdBc%2Fa-diabetes-friendly-fourth-of-july-menu-1.php There's been a lot of talk around here lately about managing diabetes and going to parties.  Here in the U.S.A., we're celebrating the Fourth of July this weekend, and there's sure to be a ton of parties.  Below are some menu ideas that you can make to ensure that your blood sugars will stay in range while you watch the fireworks!Grilled Stuffed Jalapeno PeppersBarbecued Chicken GazpachoCorn on the cob with... (Source: Diabetes Daily) Diabetes Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2571097 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:00 +0100 2571097 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2517205&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWn5LgkRlv9g%2F The Supreme Court’s decision today in Safford Unified School District #1 et al. v. Redding was a victory for privacy and decency. The Court held that a middle school violated the Fourth Amendment rights of a thirteen-year-old girl by strip searching her in a failed effort to find Ibuprofen pills and an over-the-counter painkiller. The Cato Institute filed an amicus brief, joined by the Rutherford Institute and the Goldwater Institute, opposing such abuses of school officials’ authority. The search in this case should have ended with the student’s backpack and pockets; forcing a teenage girl to pull her bra and panties away from her body for visual inspection is an invasion of privacy that must be reserved for extreme cases. School officials should be authorized to conduct... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2517205 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:29:27 +0100 2517205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2515174&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FlQn07-pvhEw%2F Security guru Bruce Schneier comes down on the strictly pragmatic side in this essay called “Fixing Airport Security.” Because of terrorism fears, he says, TSA checkpoints are “here to stay.” The rules should be made more transparent. He also argues for an amendment to some constitutional doctrines: The Constitution provides us, both Americans and visitors to America, with strong protections against invasive police searches. Two exceptions come into play at airport security checkpoints. The first is “implied consent,” which means that you cannot refuse to be searched; your consent is implied when you purchased your ticket. And the second is “plain view,” which means that if the TSA officer happens to see something unrelated to airport securit... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2515174 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:42:16 +0100 2515174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452709&cid=t_220277_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F06%2F03%2Fminding-the-magazines-examining-an-editors-letter%2F If you’ve been feeling slightly off, acutely apprehensive or flat-out frightened, women’s magazines likely know the reason: Why, it’s bikini season! And forget fear, you should be plain panicked, whether the villain is your bulging belly or your massive thighs. Fortunately, women’s magazines have graciously excused our past transgressions—when we supposedly inhaled heaping helpings of food and exhibited outright laziness—and offer us salvation in the form of workout and diet tips. In particular, in May’s issue of Women’s Health, editor-in-chief Michele Promaulayko aptly summarized our appearance woes, and, sadly but not at all surprisingly, amplified these worries in her Letter from the Editor entitled “Crunch Time”: You’d think that as an editor I’d have deadlines... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452709 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:57:57 +0100 2452709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2375866&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPkYzk2ivbR4%2F New Jerseyans may get a chance to vote their Fourth Amendment preferences in the upcoming gubernatorial elections. Among the candidates is Chris Christie, who as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey authorized the tracking of suspects’ cell phones without getting a warrant. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2375866 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:07:49 +0100 2375866 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2376173&cid=t_220277_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F27%2Fthe-situation-of-search-seizure-abstract%2F Harvard Law School student David Kessler has just published a fascinating article in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology about the Fourth Amendment seizure doctrine.  The article is titled “Free To Leave?: An Empirical Look at the Fourth Amendment’s Seizure Standard” (pdf here).  Here are some excerpts. * * * Whether a person has been “seized” often determines if he or she receives Fourth Amendment protection. The U.S. Supreme Court has established a standard for identifying seizures: a person is seized when a reasonable person in his situation would not have felt “free to leave” or otherwise to terminate the encounter with law enforcement. In applying that standard, today’s courts conduct crucial seizure inquiries relying only upon their own beliefs about whe... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2376173 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:01:38 +0100 2376173 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2306740&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fvmws-wzI3Eg%2F A middle-school student who was caught red-handed with prescription-strength ibuprofen (in violation of the school’s drug policy) implicated another 13-year-old girl, Savana Redding. On the sole basis of this accusation, school officials searched Savana’s backpack, finding no evidence of drug use, drug possession, or any other illegal or improper conduct. They then took the girl to the nurse’s office and ordered her to undress. Not finding any pills in Savana’s pants or shirt, the officials ordered the girl to pull out her bra and panties and move them to the side. The observation of Savana’s genital area and breasts also failed to reveal any contraband. Savana’s mother, whom Savana had not been permitted to call before or during the strip search, sued t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2306740 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 02:03:59 +0100 2306740 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2306955&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F03%2Ftoday-is-terris-day-fourth-anniversary.html Today is "Terri's Day." It is the fourth anniversary of the end of Terri Schiavo's ordeal of death by dehydration. This cruel end was not a necessary death. It was forced upon her by judicial fiat even though she was not terminally ill, did not require a respirator or kidney dialysis, and had a loving family eager to care for her for the rest of her natural life.Terri's family believed and believes that she knew when they visited and reacted with joy. But even if she was unaware, she remained a beloved daughter and sister, fully worthy of life and care.The Schindler family has marked this sad day with the following statement: Four Years Ago Today, Terri Schiavo Dies After Almost Two Weeks Without Food or Water. Four years ago today Terri Schiavo died. By the order of Judge George W. Greer,... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2306955 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:02:00 +0100 2306955 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2110735&cid=t_220277_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F01%2F17%2Fpsychiatric-survivors-labels-and-me%2F If any organism fails to fulfill its potentialities, it becomes sick. William James Ω The deleterious effect of evil, pernicious, stigmatizing labels are at the core of psychiatric survivor discourse™, so of course it makes me wonder why I don’t care about mine so much, like — what am I missing here, am I insufficiently outraged about a civil rights injustice?! Borderline, Bi-polar, Schizophrenia, these official stamps of psychiatry will lead to life of ruin, they say, while saying not so much about the label that actually got them committed. Puzzling, but later for all that. The thread on BPD at the only blog that matters has me head in a spin. I identify with borderlines, my life’s been filled with them, I have it in me, it’s a hellish disorder. I’ve only seen do... Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2110735 Sat, 17 Jan 2009 09:02:41 +0100 2110735 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2078721&cid=t_220277_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F01%2F04%2Folder-parents-birth-order-linked-to-autism%2F This study clearly shows a relationship between higher autism spectrum disorders’ risk and waiting to have children. Read the full article: UW researcher finds link between age, birth order and autism (Source: World of Psychology) World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2078721 Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:04:52 +0100 2078721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2056180&cid=t_220277_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F12%2F20%2Fcatch-a-fire%2F It’s not everyday reading something on the Internet can move me to tears, but I’ve given up hope on seeing something like this post (and commentary) at Whiskey Fire. The study is not yet published and I know it only begins to scratch the surface but for the first time since the tests were done on me I have hope, if not for myself I can imagine glad tidings for tomorrow’s little Dickens. When the neuropsychologist laid it out for me 10 years ago I was crying and he was almost crying, because he couldn’t answer my very pointed questions and account for the disparities in my mental examination. An evaluation spanning eight hours over two days, as comprehensive as it gets, followed by a 25 page report and two hour debriefing and still something missing hangs in the air... Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2056180 Sun, 21 Dec 2008 02:09:52 +0100 2056180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1991041&cid=t_220277_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F27%2Fi-try-to-praise-the-mutilated-world%2F I often wonder what it will look like to reach the point of not just surviving my misfortunes but being simply and profoundly grateful for every single thing that has ever happened to me. And why people who want things like that are so perplexing to those who don’t. Those who wonder, in their golden ways what’s so funny about gallows humor, the sole comfort of those who’ve escaped the hangman and an affront to those who have no knowledge of his existence. Welp, there it is, in black & white, no less. Thanks by W.S. Merwin Listen with the night falling we are saying thank you we are stopping on the bridges to bow from the railings we are running out of the glass rooms with our mouths full of food to look at the sky and say thank you we are standing by the water thanki... Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1991041 Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:44:48 +0100 1991041 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1863216&cid=t_220277_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F09%2Fthe-legal-and-procedural-situation-of-segregation%2F Bennett Capers, has posted an intriguing article, “Policing, Race, and Place” (forthcoming 44 Harv. CR-CL L. Rev. (2008)) on SSRN.  Here’s the abstract. * * * Most Americans live in neighborhoods and communities segregated along race lines, and take this segregation for granted. To the extent they view their communities as racially segregated at all, they assume that this segregation is the largely the result of individual choice or socio-economic status, or perhaps a remnant of de jure segregation. The ambition of this Article is to draw attention to a component of segregation that has been largely ignored: the significant role that criminal law and procedure have played, and continue to play, in maintaining racialized spaces.        (Sourc... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1863216 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:41:30 +0100 1863216 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1577356&cid=t_220277_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F327035343%2F “School tomorrow!” Charlie told me with his best grin this morning. He’d slept in, had breakfast around 11, practiced cello with a little coaxing. His internal clock is ticking away: Two days off and it tells him, that was the weekend, back to school. Imagine if everyone preferred to go without long weekends and always have that five-day workweek, no complaints. Off to find some rides and maybe some fireworks, if the rain allows……. Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, clock, disabilities blog, disability, Family, family blog, independence day, july fourth, kids, kids blog, Parenting, pdd-nos, Technology, Time, weekendShare This (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1577356 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:58:17 +0100 1577356 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1577375&cid=t_220277_137_f&fid=35357&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAlzheimersNotes%2F%7E3%2F326810710%2F AlzheimersNotes.com  In the United States, we’re celebrating Fourth of July, or Independence Day. There are parades, fireworks, community activities, and for many a weekend off from work.  You may be somewhat confined at home, if you’re caring for an Alzheimer’s patient.  Or you may be visiting your family member at a nursing home and joining in festivities there. When I was growing up, we couldn’t take a day off from the dairy farm work. However, we usually visited relatives for a holiday meal, a family reunion type of gathering, then returned home for the evening chores. Then as dusk descended, we watched fireworks from the “Big Hill,” a hay field on a hill top from which we could see for miles. Bursts of fireworks were visible in the darkening sky.... Alzheimer's Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1577375 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:00:40 +0100 1577375 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1577274&cid=t_220277_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F07%2F04%2Fhappy-fourth-of-july-friends%2F Image details: Patriotic Pride served by picapp.com I imagine that July 4th, especially with it being a weekend and all, will be a poorly-attended internet day. So with that in mind, I shall save my vast wisdom for a day other than a US National holiday and instead, just wish you a Happy, Happy Independence Day, full of good food, good friends, and appreciation for all this great country has to offer. If you’re visiting from another country, well, then I wish you a fabulous and relaxing weekend. Thanks for reading! Your friends at Healthbolt Tags: Fourth of July, Holidays, Independence Day, US HolidaysShare This (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1577274 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:35:59 +0100 1577274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1409822&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F280782220%2F This is not for those of you who keep/kept coming like Jack R., John DeL., Jimmy DeL., Don H., Desi, heck, even Clyde F. This is for those of you who have disappeared from the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous even though you’d still tell us you’re “sober.” “The Great Paradox” Which is today’s Daily Reflection; “These legacies of suffering and of recovery are easily passed among alcoholics, one to another. This is our gift from God, and its bestowal upon others like us is the one aim that today animates A.A.’s all around the globe.” Notice it says “Our Gift From God.” It is my personal opinion that those of us who keep this gift all to themselves (or tell us they do their “work” outside AA) are some of the most... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1409822 Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:16:44 +0100 1409822 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1395168&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F111733807%2F Ever have one of those days??? “Some will object to many of the questions posed, because they think their own character defects have not been so glaring. To these it can be suggested that a conscientious examination is likely to reveal the very defects the objectionable questions are concerned with. Because our surface record hasn’t looked too bad, we have frequently been abashed to find that this is so simply because we have buried these self-same defects deep down in us under thick layers of self-justification. Whatever the defects, they have finally ambushed us into alcoholism and misery.” 12 & 12, pgs 53-54 Hence, (I believe), the “profundity” if you spot it, you got it. Then… another “no co-incidence.” Going back a few readings an... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1395168 Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:25:00 +0100 1395168 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1392565&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F275680887%2F The sad part is that the originator of the comment believes he “got my hackles up” because of the content of his remark. Not true - my “hackles” were raised because I won’t sit back and allow you to force your will down my throat especially when you are talking out of your a**! To paraphrase: “Alcoholics and addicts are different. Once an addict gets what they need they don’t need it anymore. When an alcoholic drinks their need is never satisfied.” I think that covers it… My question to you is “Are you an addict?” Your answer - no. Oh, and btw - I put the word “drug” ahead of addict. What the hey difference does that make? The rationalization? An addict has a point where they are “satiated.” Satiated?... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1392565 Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:26:47 +0100 1392565 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1391204&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F117013606%2F We’ve seen the First Step Promises, the Second Step Promises, , the Third Step Promises, now here are the Fourth Step Promises from the AA History Lovers Group at Yahoo! 1. Though our decision was a vital and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once followed by a strenuous effort to face, and to be rid of, the things in ourselves which had been blocking us. (64:0) 2. Our liquor was but a symptom. (64:0) 3. Resentment is the “number one” offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick. (64:3) 4. When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically. (64:3) 5. Nothing count... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1391204 Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:04:52 +0100 1391204 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1382495&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F273111259%2F Beginning on page 43 in AA’s 12&12; “We have also seen men and women who go power-mad, who devote themselves to attempting to rule their fellows.” For ex. - this comment. Forward to pg. 44 - “Whenever a human being becomes a battleground for the instincts, there can be no peace.” In response to a post where I’m disagreeing with the concept of “Meeting Makers Make It” someone takes the time, lacking any communication, to immediately make a defamatory remark about “not working the program of action” to another human being, knowing nothing at all about that person and going to length to belittle the word “recovering” which isn’t mentioned in the post at all. What does this tell me? I can’t say for certain,... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1382495 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 19:57:23 +0100 1382495 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1379519&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F272340292%2F “Fear knocked at the door; faith answered; no one was there.” Just my personal opinion now - if I’m afforded the luxury of having time to think, even momentarily, at what appears fearful, it is one thing. On the other hand, if I have no opportunity to consider, am taken completely by surprise instantly, it is an entirely different situation. It happened over ten years ago. My youngest son was coming to stay with me for the summer. We had had our conversations and had made arrangements. Unknown to me because it happened while he was on the road traveling to meet me, there was a change in the bus schedule and he wasn’t being dropped off where we originally had planned. I hadn’t heard my ex-wife’s voice in quite some time. Strangely enough, I answered the p... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1379519 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:17:10 +0100 1379519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1370832&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F269975383%2F “Having found the shoes that fit, he ought to step into them and walk with new confidence that he is at last on the right track.” There are two words which offer me relief personally when they are preceded by “confidence” and the implication of peace of mind - “at last.” The inventory must be four things: It must be honest. Why waste time fooling ourselves with a phony list? We have fooled ourselves for years, we tried to fool others, and now is a good time to look ourselves squarely in the eye. It must be searching. Why skip over a vital matter lightly and quickly? Our trouble is a grave mental disease, confused by screwy thinking. Therefore, we must search diligently and fearlessly to get at the truth of what is wrong with us - - just dig in and searc... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1370832 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:19:09 +0100 1370832 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1365003&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F268182032%2F “Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.” Page 146, 12&12; “Over the years, every conceivable deviation from our Twelve Steps and Traditions has been tried. That was sure to be, since we are so largely a band of ego-driven individualists. Children of chaos, we have defiantly played with every brand of fire, only to emerge unharmed and, we think, wiser. These very deviations created a vast process of trial and error which, under the grace of God, has brought us to where we stand today.” I love the descriptive language: “ego-driven individualists,” “children of chaos,” “defiantly.” All of which cement the idea that the words I’m reading surely must apply to me… Wha... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1365003 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:30:18 +0100 1365003 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1362481&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F107692905%2F From Silkworth.net; 4th STEP Prayers WHEN IN DOUBT “I was to sit quietly when in doubt, asking only for direction and strength to meet my problems as He would have me. Never was I to pray for myself, except as my requests bore on my usefulness to others. Then only might I expect to receive. But that would be in great measure.” (p.13) WHEN I AM DISTURBED BY THE CONDUCT (SYMPTOMS) OF OTHERS “This is a sick man. How can I be helpful to him? God save me from being angry. Thy will be done.” (p. 67 BB) God help me to show this person the same tolerance, pity and patience that I would Cheerfully grant a sick friend. This is a sick person, how can I be helpful to him? God save me from being angry. Thy will be done. (see above and p. 141 of 12&12) WHEN I AM AFRAID &#8220... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1362481 Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:30:45 +0100 1362481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1356267&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F266138382%2F Rick taught me to never give up the dream… I haven’t paid attention all that often - usually only when I need to the most. Like now. Today’s Daily Reflection; “We want to find exactly how, when, and where our natural desires have warped us. We wish to look squarely at the unhappiness this has caused others and ourselves. By discovering what our emotional deformities are, we can move toward their correction.” Emotional deformities - that’ll stop ya’! The response to the reflection says; “Today I am no longer a slave to alcohol, yet in so many ways enslavement still threatens - my self, my desires, even my dreams. Yet without dreams I cannot exist: without dreams there is nothing to keep me moving forward.” If I left the talk there I&#821... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1356267 Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:15:51 +0100 1356267 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1354150&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F265288704%2F Yes, heard at a meeting… “Pain shared in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous is cut in half; Joy shared in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous is doubled!” Also heard in meetings and known, by personal experience, to be true… More reality from the Daily Reflection; “When I stopped drinking I began a lifetime process of recovery from unruly emotions, painful relationships, and unmanageable situations.” Positively. “This process is too much for most of us without help from a Higher Power and our friends in the Fellowship.” Most of us? Sure have a sense of uniqueness from that statement, though I’m certain I’m not alone, I’m also certain to be envious of anyone who CAN do it without a Higher Power and our Fellowship! “When I ... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1354150 Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:52:14 +0100 1354150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1352754&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F264675441%2F Bill Wilson tells a pointed story about a group of fellows finding fully minted gold coins in “The Language of the Heart” (page 256) that you might want to read… The story creates a symbolic picture graphically which tells Bill “that I may attain ‘humility for today’ only to the extent that I am able to avoid the bog of guilt and rebellion, and that fair but deceiving land which is strewn with the coin of Pride.” He then offers that “this is how I can find and stay on the Road to Humility which lies in between. Therefore, a constant inventory which can reveal when I am off the road is always in order.” That seems to me to be closer to the Tenth Step than the Fourth. What follows though, is a few sentences that I can relate to what I hea... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1352754 Sat, 05 Apr 2008 18:19:25 +0100 1352754 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1352200&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F264281223%2F Discussion No. 3: Inventory and Restitution (I) **************************************** Step No. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. The intent and purpose of this step is plain. All alcoholics have a definite need for a good self-analysis - - a sort of self-appraisal. Other people have certainly analyzed us, appraised us, criticized us and even judged us. It might be a good idea to judge ourselves, calmly and honestly. We need inventory because: Either our faults, weaknesses, defects of character, are the cause of our drinking, or our drinking has weakened our character and led us into all kinds of wrong action, wrong attitudes, wrong viewpoints. In either event we obviously need an inventory and the only kind of inventory to make is a good one. Moreover, t... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1352200 Fri, 04 Apr 2008 23:54:08 +0100 1352200 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1349720&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F264076159%2F How did they know? Page 64 - 66; We asked ourselves why we were angry. In most cases it was found that our self-esteem, our pocketbooks, our ambitions, our personal relationships (including sex) were hurt or threatened. So we were sore. We were “burned up.” Our injuries? One example; Self-esteem: (Mr. Brown is such an a**) “Brown may get my job at the office?” Oh heck no - Brown is not better than I am! He doesn’t deserve that. I’m telling the boss. What’s that? At least Brown is here everyday without a hangover? How dare you! As I slink away hating myself… Another example - my wife (okay, ex-wife); Pride - Personal Sex Relations: “Misunderstands and nags. Likes Brown. Wants house put in her name.” NO! I don’t have a problem... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1349720 Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:26:09 +0100 1349720 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1347506&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F263369164%2F It had been some time since I last heard someone do this… A Fourth Step meeting. A newcomer. Not on the Fourth Step yet. “But, I’ve been thinking.” And this is one of those times when everything after “but” is BS. You simply ought not even attempt to “do” a Fourth Step in your head! “In dealing with resentments, we set them on paper. We listed people, institutions or principles with whom we were angry.” Since I don’t live in your head I can only submit my own experience. I am entirely capable of, and extremely good at, forgetting, ignoring, denying, minimizing, maximizing and losing focus. And - that’s not simply because I’m old today lol. It’s because I am an alcoholic! My reasoning is, if you admit you ar... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1347506 Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:46:26 +0100 1347506 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1346218&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F262899647%2F Returning to yesterdays’ Daily Reflection… (sarcasm ahead) Looking Within Ambivalent feelings: “Simultaneously feeling opposing or contradictory feelings.” “By discovering what my emotional deformities are, I can move toward their correction. Without a willing and persistent effort to do this, there can be little sobriety or contentment for me.” Contentment? I’m not sure I know what the word means… “the neuro-physiological experience of satisfaction and being at ease in one’s situation, body, and/or mind.” Satisfaction? At Ease? Well, gotta admit (rat on the disease?) these are two conditions not very prevalent in my mind lately. There’s an answer! “To resolve ambivalent feelings, I need to feel a strong and help... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1346218 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:55:45 +0100 1346218 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1344498&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F262225735%2F ; “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” “We took stock honestly.” Which no doubt is one of the reasons “they” strongly suggested that, in doing a Fourth Step, we do it with a sponsor! “First, we searched out the flaws in our make-up which caused our failure.” Which no doubt is another reason “they” strongly suggested that, in doing a Fourth Step, we do it with a sponsor! “Resentment… destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick.” **************************************** HOPE “When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1344498 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:39:38 +0100 1344498 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1340811&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F261786958%2F On page 63, the last paragraph written on our Third Step says; “This was only a beginning, though if honestly and humbly made, an effect, sometimes a very great one, was felt at once.” Only a beginning, there’s a long way to go… “Next we launched out on a course of vigorous action, the first step of which is a personal housecleaning, which many of us had never attempted.” Well, of course I never attempted it, I didn’t have the problem - you did. The world did. My boss did. My wife did. Etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum. “Though our decision was a vital and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once followed by a strenuous effort to face, and to be rid of, the things in ourselves which had been blocking us.” Decision? W... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1340811 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:15:12 +0100 1340811 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1338109&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F105603201%2F Let’s end the month of March with the Third Step. There’s a motive, yes. I’ll let you in on it in a minute… Step #3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. This is a wonderful paragraph from the Big Book, pg. 61; “Our actor is self-centered - ego-centric, as people like to call it nowadays. He is like the retired business man who lolls in the Florida sunshine in the winter complaining of the sad state of the nation; the minister who sighs over the sins of the twentieth century; politicians and reformers who are sure all would be Utopia if the rest of the world would only behave; the outlaw safe cracker who thinks society has wronged him; and the alcoholic who has lost all and is locked up. Whatever our pro... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1338109 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:00:06 +0100 1338109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1098866&cid=t_220277_151_f&fid=36047&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FADozenSteps%2F%7E3%2F201659131%2F First Things First… Fourth Tradition - (long form) - “With respect to its own affairs, each A.A. group should be responsible to no other authority than its own conscience. But when its plans concern the welfare of neighboring groups also, those groups ought to be consulted. And no group, regional committee, or individual should ever take any action that might greatly affect A.A. as a whole without conferring with the trustees of the General Service Board. On such issues our common welfare is paramount.” Tom asked another question: “Just as we do in our lives, are we seeking God’s guidance in the home group business meetings too?” Once again I’ll offer simply my own personal thoughts… Based on this, from “The A.A. Group… Where It All B... A Dozen Steps blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1098866 Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:19:11 +0100 1098866 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1082139&cid=t_220277_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F12%2F08%2Fspectacle-this-word-is-an-eyesore%2F You can’t see anything from a car; you’ve got to get out of the goddamn contraption and walk, better yet crawl, on hands and knees, over the sandstone and through the thornbrush and cactus. When traces of blood begin to mark your trail, you’ll see something, maybe. ~ Edward Abbey I found myself wandering [...] (Source: Writhe Safely) Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1082139 Sun, 09 Dec 2007 19:52:07 +0100 1082139 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1045153&cid=t_220277_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F11%2F22%2Ftry-to-praise-the-mutilated-world%2F Try to praise the mutilated world. Remember June’s long days, and wild strawberries, drops of wine, the dew. The nettles that methodically overgrow the abandoned homesteads of exiles. You must praise the mutilated world. You watched the stylish yachts and ships; one of them had a long trip ahead of it, while salty oblivion awaited others. You’ve seen the refugees heading nowhere, you’ve heard the [...] (Source: Writhe Safely) Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1045153 Thu, 22 Nov 2007 11:11:57 +0100 1045153 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1034882&cid=t_220277_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F11%2F18%2Fnamis-agenda-still-my-ruling-nightmare%2F And you know what, I’m gonna leave off this for awhile, I can’t handle it, there’s a lot of positive stuff going on in the movement and I’m gonna spend the next couple days drinking it in. But first let me show you my pain, from an email I sent to TMA yesterday, and [...] (Source: Writhe Safely) Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1034882 Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:20:46 +0100 1034882 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=713247&cid=t_220277_131_f&fid=35743&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthegenesherpa.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F07%2Fhappy-independence-day-us.html The Sherpa Family Would like to wish all of you A Happy Fourth Of July!Even for my friends from every country of the world. Take this day to remember everyone who fought hard to give us the lives we now enjoy. -Take Care (Source: Gene Sherpas: Personalized Medicine and You) Gene Sherpas: Personalized Medicine and You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=713247 Wed, 04 Jul 2007 02:47:00 +0100 713247