Where's the Outrage?

The insanity of a cruise ship slamming into well-charted rocks is hard to fathom in 2011/2012. The absurdity of this cruise ship crashing into rocks is only heightened by the behavior of the captain which has only come to light over the last 48 hours. Not only did he not stay on the ship and help passengers, but it appears that he waited until it was too late to deploy the life rafts. It also seems that he abandon ship long before all of the passengers were off.

To continue the tale of ineptitude, today the CEO of the corporation is clearly throwing the captain under the proverbial bus. The CEO, Pierluigi Foschi, has told the media that the company was misinformed about the exact nature of the crash. This poor captain, Francesco Schettino, is in a world of trouble.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Tags: General by ecthompson md
No Comments »

Re-posted.

Today is Martin Luther King’s birthday.  Here is his I Have a Dream speech. (I went to the MLK prayer breakfast last year (this morning). Donna Brazile was the keynote speaker. Representative Heath Shuler was there. So was Senator Kay Hagan. Many city council members and the mayor Terry Bellamy were present. It was a great event.) Read more about Martin Luther King.

If you’re sitting in front of your computers at home, at work or anywhere in between, I would like to ask you a question — what is your dream? Do you dream of being able to send your kids to college? Do you dream that simple dream of being able to pay your bills and have some money left over at the end of the month? Do you dream of being able to go to your doctor without having to worry about how much the prescriptions, the diagnostic tests and other procedures may cost? Do you dream of getting paid a living wage? What is your dream?

When I close my eyes, I dream of a country where my grandson and your grandchild can go to a public or private school anywhere in the country and get a solid education. I dream of a country where we are not all slaves to big corporations. I dream of a country where we all have equal access to affordable, efficient and cost-effective healthcare. Finally, I dream of a country that has figured out that we are great because of our compassion and love for humanity and not because of our military might. These are my dreams as a progressive. What are yours?

Tags: Civil Rights, Domestic Issues, General by ecthompson md
2 Comments »

Here’s one of my favorite people in the world. Her husband has ALS. With an HD video cam and his new Trike, he made the following movie. Outstanding.

Tags: General by ecthompson md
No Comments »

It is important for us to understand that having a good new year requires us to survive New Year’s Day. Don’t over do. Don’t eat too much. Don’t drink too much. Take care of yourself so that we can enjoy the debate in the year to come.

Tags: General by ecthompson md
No Comments »

I was out and about in Houston today.

The picture above was taken today and conveys the fact it was quite sunny.

I was thinking as I walked and drove around about the need to take everybody as individual, while at the same time not forgetting that everyone is connected.

These two imperatives can draw upon different internal resources, and can highlight competing strains of thought about how to view the world.

Also, it was so bright and sunny as I traveled  around Houston today. Individual things stand in such clear relief when so clearly lit.

Still–I was not swayed from my thoughts. Being under the light of the sun was a unifying aspect of the things I saw.

In the year ahead please consider finding the internal resources and flexibility of mind to accept the people you encounter as individuals and without preconceived notions, while at the same time grasping that what happens to one person happens to all people.

Tags: General by Neil Aquino
No Comments »

Merry Christmas! I hope that you and your family have a wonderful Christmas season.

There are two songs that really reflect Christmas for me. First is Nat King Cole with, in my opinion, the best version of the “Christmas Song.” Secondly, Bing Crosby’s version of “White Christmas.” What song or songs really mean Christmas to you?

Tags: General by ecthompson md
1 Comment »

I don’t understand why people stand out in the cold and rush to buy Christmas gifts. It is almost like group hysteria or hypnosis. I can’t imagine that the aggravation that comes with elbowing your fellow neighbors is worth it.

From AP:

A woman shot pepper spray to keep shoppers from merchandise she wanted during a Black Friday sale, and 20 people suffered minor injuries, authorities said.

The incident occurred shortly after 10:20 p.m. Thursday in a crowded Los Angeles-area Walmart as shoppers hungry for deals were let inside the store.
Police said the suspect shot the pepper spray when the coverings over the items she wanted were removed.

“Somehow she was trying to use it to gain an upper hand,” police Lt. Abel Parga told The Associated Press early Friday.

Tags: General by ecthompson md
2 Comments »

Let us remember that today is about giving thanks. It is not about eating until we are so sick that we can’t move. It’s not about shopping until we drop. Today is about thanking our Creator for all the blessings that we have. Today is about spending quality time with friends and family. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Tags: General by ecthompson md
No Comments »

Rick Perry is proving what most of us from Texas (who aren’t an ultra-conservative Republican) have thought. Perry simply isn’t that impressive. He has tanked in debates. In one debate after another he has simply been awful. A college transcript littered with Cs and Ds may be a clue that he wouldn’t be that good at debating.

Very interesting “Girl Project.” A researcher asked 5,000 girls ages 13 – 18 what they thought (guys, pay attention!!) She gave them a camera and followed them for two years. Interestingly, these teenagers weren’t much different than girls 30 – 50 years ago. They were all about relationships (love) and the future. They weren’t about sex. A new book has all of the details – Please Read (if at all possible): The Girl Project

Foreclosures are declining – maybe.

Obama’s jobs bill appears to have died in the Senate yesterday. Eric Cantor in the House declared it dead several days ago. So, with unemployment at 9.1%, what are Republicans going to do to help the American people? Nothing? The President’s jobs bill wasn’t some radical progressive wish list. I wish it were. Instead, it was the same middle of the road approach in which he took both liberal and conservative ideas and threw them into this job’s plan. Congress has basically said no. Americans shouldn’t take no for an answer. We need jobs. We need jobs now. I don’t care if the jobs come from private companies or from the government. I don’t care. We need to put people back to work – NOW!!

The unofficial list of banks that are in trouble has declined to 983. Calculated Risk explains.

Robert Reich tackles the seven biggest economic lies. These are great. Please watch the video:

Tags: Economy, General, Party Politics by ecthompson md
No Comments »

Above is a picture I took of people welding a ship or a barge of some kind at the Houston Ship Channel.

(Photo copyright 2011 Neil Aquino.)

Here is a history of welding. At the bottom of that history are other welding related links.

Here is a definition of welding from Merriam-Webster–

Join together (metal pieces or parts) by heating the surfaces to the point of melting with a blowpipe, electric arc, or other means, and uniting them by pressing, hammering, etc.

Sometimes we hear about concepts and themes of unity and connection. Such talk might conjure up images of peace and cooperation.

It is not always that way.

Sometimes things are brought together by—”melting with a blowpipe, electric arc, or other means, and uniting them by pressing, hammering, etc.”

Tags: General by Neil Aquino
No Comments »

I’ve been enjoying a fabulous trauma conference in beautiful downtown Chicago. This is simply one of my favorite cities in all of the United States. The spring and fall will deliver weather that is unparalleled. Unfortunately, I got here just a little late in the season. It’s starting to get chilly. The Art Institute of Chicago is one of my favorite places.

Terrible plane crash in Reno, Nevada. Several deaths. Upwards of 50 or 60 injuries, according to some news reports. Very sad.

Inflation appears to be ticking up. This is really bad news. The things that the Federal Reserve can do to combat inflation hurt job growth and money availability. Most commonly, the Fed will increase interest rates and decrease the money supply. These actions will make money harder to come by and loans harder to come by. They will in turn cause a decrease in spending, which will then lead to prices coming down and breaking the back of inflation. I have no idea what the Fed does in the face of 9.1% unemployment, a stagnant economy and the beginnings of a bump in inflation. This is going to be interesting.

There was a special election in Anthony Wiener’s district in New York. The Democrat, somebody I’ve never heard of, lost to a Republican. There was/is a bunch of handwringing as, once again, the mainstream media is trying to convince the American people that this election was about Pres. Barack Obama. I find that most local elections are about local things. I think it is seldom the case that local elections are about national things. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think this election was about Anthony Wiener and his behavior. Barack Obama has plenty of other things to worry about.

Drone strikes in Yemen. There are some question whether the Yemeni government will collapse.

Somalia seems to be lapsing once again into famine. Unfortunately, the world has little or no stomach for aiding this dysfunctional and war-torn country.

A teenager in Horizon City, Texas is being brought up on charges of defrauding a community out of $17,000. It appears that the community believe that the teenager was dying of cancer.

I have no idea what’s going on in Egypt. Seems like there is chaos breaking out, again. There also seems there is a police crackdown, again.

There seems to be a real pathological brain injury associated with Gulf War syndrome. All I know is we need to take care of our troops. It’s our promise to them. As Americans, we must keep our promises.

If this story is true, I hope the prosecutor throws the book at this young lady. She “allegedly” started a charity for her lymphoma. She collected over $17,000 from a community called Horizon City, Texas. It turns out, she does not have cancer. This kind of behavior that we must stop in the United States. This is the kind of behavior that takes advantage of our good will and ruins our communities as we could begin to distrust each other about everything. (the earlier version of this news story made no sense. I have no idea what happened.)

There’s a new book about Sarah Palin and her life. This supposed to be some tell-all book. Stop it. A tell-all book? Why? I don’t like Sarah Palin because I think she is destructive. I don’t think that she has any answers for the problems of the United States. I really don’t care about some book that is not going to improve the economy or create jobs. Right now, the focus should be on jobs. That’s it. 24/7.

Tags: Economy, General, Military, Party Politics by ecthompson md
No Comments »

When I was really young, I loved to travel. That was long before planes crashed into the World Trade Center. That was back when we actually got service on airlines. Talking with a young lady who was sitting so close to me that I should have bought her dinner, I explained that I remember running for a plane when I was around 10 years old. I was with my whole family and they were holding the plane for us. A stewardess was waiting with a smile. A smile!! That was a long time ago.

I’m sitting in the airport because I jogged thru the Atlanta airport and MADE my flight. As I got to the gate, did the knucklehead behind the desk say anything worthwhile? Nope. “Hurry, let me check your ticket, then run to the plane. They are closing the door.” What? I just ran thru the airport to make this stupid plane. I was running thru the airport because my plane from Asheville to Atlanta was late. It left nearly an hour late. Though none of this is my fault yet, I’m treated like I’m putting these folks out. What’s wrong with this picture? I paid good money for a ticket, yet I’m being treated like I am a burden. Well, excuse me.

So, you know why I’m sitting here at Chicago’s Midway airport? It is because my bags didn’t make the flight that I was told to “run” to catch. So, I can have my bags delivered to my room in six to eight hours if everything goes okay or I can sit here in the airport for another 90 minutes while I wait for my bags.

In a nutshell, this is what is wrong with America. We don’t treat each other with respect. We are nothing more than piles of money to these big companies. When and if that changes we will be on our way to being a great nation again.

(Just in case you are wondering, the flight that I’m waiting on is 20 minutes late, of course.)

Tags: General by ecthompson md
No Comments »

Here are excerpts from an obituary that recently appeared in The Cincinnati Enquirer for Frank Williams Sr.—

“At the funeral service this afternoon for Frank Williams Sr., (Above) the eulogy will take mourners back to the 1940s and ’50s, when Mr. Williams was a Cincinnati boxer. ”The minister’s going to say he fought the good fight,” said Williams’ daughter, Donna Wells of Bond Hill. “God had made my daddy a fighter and he fought it ’til the end.” He was one of heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles’ first professional opponents, in 1940, according to the book “Cincinnati Boxing.” He was also a longtime sparring partner of Charles. His last fight was against Alzheimer’s disease, one he ultimately didn’t win. Mr. Williams died June 11 at Indian Spring Health Center, Oakley. He was 81. Mr. Williams worked in construction for 36 years, first for Turner Construction, then Messer Construction….”

Here are facts about former world heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles.

The place where Mr. Williams died–the Indian Spring Center in Cincinnati–is where my father died in March. The obituary says that Mr. Williams died of Alzheimer’s disease. I have no idea how long Mr. Williams was at Indian Springs, but there were patients at the facility who did have Alzheimers. I can still visualize some of these folks.

None of these people remained able to fight a boxing match.

Here is a link to facts about Alzheimer’s disease.

It is good to see the story of someone who may have been one of the people I saw each day in the 3 1/2 weeks I spent visiting Indian Spring earlier this year.

Everybody has a story. Everybody has accomplishments. We’ve got to remember this fact even when people are at the end of life and are tired and not what they once were.

Tags: General, Sports by Neil Aquino
1 Comment »

Why does this iPad seem to need to sync every time I hook it up? I just want to download one thing right quick and bam! I’m slowed by an iTunes update or my iPad sync’ing everything that I have bought just on the iPad with my computer. What was going to be a 10-minute project is now and hour watch both systems update.

Tags: General by ecthompson md
4 Comments »

My dad wasn’t like all of the other dads. He was different. Being a doctor was different. Being from South America and speaking with that accent was also different. He had an intensity that was unmatched. On this Father’s Day, I’d like to take a minute and remember my father – Frank William Thompson. You were and are loved and appreciated. Rest in peace.

Tags: General by ecthompson md
No Comments »

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is the celebration to mark the end of slavery in the United States.

On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger, landing at Galveston, Texas, made the announcement that the Civil War was over and that slaves were free.

(Above–Ashton Villa. It was from the balcony of this house that the Emancipation Proclamation was read in the event now known as Juneteenth. Photo by Nick Saum  www.nicksaumphotography.com)

Juneteenth for 2011 will be observed on Sunday, June 19.

It is important that we are all aware of Juneteenth. The freedom of all people is connected. If any group of Americans does not have all their rights, than we are all denied our rights.

Here is information on Juneteenth from the very useful Handbook of Texas Online.

From the Handbook—

“On June 19 (“Juneteenth”), 1865, Union general Gordon Granger read the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, thus belatedly bringing about the freeing of 250,000 slaves in Texas. The tidings of freedom reached slaves gradually as individual plantation owners read the proclamation to their bondsmen over the months following the end of the war. The news elicited an array of personal celebrations, some of which have been described in The Slave Narratives of Texas (1974). The first broader celebrations of Juneteenth were used as political rallies and to teach freed African-Americans about their voting rights. Within a short time, however, Juneteenth was marked by festivities throughout the state, some of which were organized by official Juneteenth committees.”

Though the Emancipation Proclamation took effect in 1863, it took time for word to get around that slavery was over. People went around for two years not knowing they were free.

After Juneteenth came the failure of Reconstruction and over 100 years of Jim Crow. Many people had their lives wasted in these years due to the racist beliefs of political leaders and of many everyday citizens.

Here is a history of Reconstruction.

Here is a history of Jim Crow.

Here is a collection of links that form a history of slavery in the United States.

These folks think Juneteenth should be a holiday.

Tags: General by Neil Aquino
No Comments »

Tags: Books, General by Neil Aquino
No Comments »

I recently spent two weeks in my former home town of Cincinnati.

My father was dying of cancer. He died on March 12.  I was fortunate enough to be in town with him for the last ten days of his life.

I drove around Cincinnati while on my visit. While looking around, I took this picture of railroad tracks that you see above.

I felt the picture well-conveyed the fact that my father would soon be diverging off the main track of life.

And that is just what he did.

Tags: General by Neil Aquino
2 Comments »

Tags: Books, General by Neil Aquino
3 Comments »

Huge natural disaster in Japan.

From HuffPo:

A powerful tsunami spawned by the largest earthquake in Japan’s recorded history slammed the eastern coast Friday, sweeping away boats, cars, homes and people as widespread fires burned out of control. Authorities said at least 32 people were killed.

The magnitude 8.9 offshore quake was followed by at least 19 aftershocks, most of them of more than magnitude 6.0. Dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the epicenter.

A utility company in northeastern Japan reported a fire in a turbine building of nuclear power plant. A tsunami warning was issued for the entire Pacific, including areas as far away as South America, the entire U.S. West Coast, Canada and Alaska.

Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said at least 32 people were killed.

“The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan,” Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at a news conference.

Even for a country used to earthquakes, this one was of horrific proportions. It unleashed a 23-foot (7-meter) tsunami that swept boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris miles inland.  (more…)

Tags: Foreign Affairs, General by ecthompson md
No Comments »