ferretrunner

If we were to drop regular health insurance and require people to buy their own catastrophic insurance, we'd be in a huge mess. Catastrophic insurance does not cover routine health care: things such as pap smears, physicals, trips to the doctor for strep throat, payment for xrays and/ or MRIs, blood tests, medications, most surgeries, etc. would NOT be covered under catastrophic insurance as I understand it. So, instead of having $20 copay at an office, you now have a bill around $250 for an office visit and an antibiotic if you're sick. You now pay for the MRI (around $2000). Nope. Catastrophic insurance alone won't meet the need.

Yeah, the stimulus bail out was passed under George Bush. And, typically, the next President inherits the mess and gets the blame. I disagree with many of President Obama's decisions. But, I also don't see him pushing much of anything through the democrat held house and senate. If anything, the democrats aren't doing much of anything. As compared to republicans in similiar power balances. I think a large part of the problem is President Obama is just not experienced enough. It will be interesting to see what decisions he makes about Iraq/ Afghanistan.

Not everyone can get vacation time to travel to Mexico or afford the travel expenses. As for people not needing health care for 95% of their lives- what about preventative medicine. You know, the "woman's yearly" exam? The male's prostrate exam? What about me wiping out my bicycle and tearing my ACL? No insurance? HUUUGGGE medical bill with the MRI, ortho surgeon consult, and physical therapy. Not to mention the ambulance. None of whic would be covered by catastrophic insurance. So, I break an arm tripping on the stairs and I have to go to Mexico for my health care? I don't think this is a realistic solution. And you're talking about one trip being less than a year's insurance- does that include lost wages if you don't get paid for sick time? What about if you need more than one trip a year? HSAs are a good suplmentary idea. There are a couple major drawbacks, though. If you misjudge and end up not saving enough, you could be in trouble. On the other hand, if you can't spend all of it, you loose the money. It doesn't roll over. It's hard to judge how much you'll end up spending in health care. Two years ago, I made more insurance claims and spent more money after the bike accident. My HSA was not nearly enough to cover it. But... last year, I spent significantly less, so I would have lost all the money I didn't spend if I increased my HSA based on the previous year's expenses. How much money should a person put into the HSA to pay for all their health care costs? $200/$300 a month, in case? Ok, now I have $200- $300 a month less to pay the rest of my bills. Money I will loose if I don't use. Whereas my insurance premium is much less.

But of the extremely wealthy, very few people actually start with "nothing." Most have inherited money- or were born into at least the middle class where they could obtain an education. For every Bill Gates in the US, there are millions of Harry Johnsons; the guy who works his tail off every day but never becomes a millionaire- even if he tries. Or the mother who works two jobs to pay for housing, food, and clothes for her kids... or the social worker who goes to school for 6 years and is lucky to get a job paying $40K a year with a MSW.

Interesting concept. But wouldn't it counter the promise we have that we're all resurrected? I mean, if my body goes away and I end up sharing a male body with whoever, my body has then "died." I also wonder about this: so the "perfect" body is male. So, somehow a female body is imperfect or inferior and can't be divine? As above, so below. I think the Mother is a creative force in and of Herself and is much more powerful than we give Her credit for. I've never seen a male give birth. So, could we create if we are merged into one body?

Yes, they do. But, then, I'm partial to them. The pic in my avatar is my "chocolate ferret"- Lady Tosca. *sigh* She's beating up the boys right now.

Last year, one of my ferrets got a piece of chocolate. It's not as toxic to ferrets as it is for dogs but I took her to the vet anyway. While I was there, a lady brought in her black cat. The cat was in pretty bad shape. It seems some high school punks decided it was a funny Halloween prank to burn kitty's whiskers, kick her, and try to cut some of her fur off. Kitty had burns on her face and several cuts. The next time I went to the vet I asked about the cat. The cat recovered. My ferret suffered no ill effects from her indulgence in chocolate. Little brat was just too fast and got a small piece of chocolate off the table before I caught her.

Most of my facebook deals with running and ferrets. But, I do have pictures of my commission up. But, no really private details.

Growing up, we went out to get the tree the day after Thanksgiving. We spent that evening decorating the tree and having special hot chocolate. Dad put up the house lights that weekend. Mom started playing Christmas music then, too.

I used to live in Spokane. There's a program called "Running Start" in Washington. It allows high school Juinors and Seniors to attend classes at community college. It can result in a student graduating with an AA and a high school diploma, if done correctly. If not, they still get college credits. I think Central Valley High School is a solid school in Spokane Valley. Stay out of Spokane proper for schools. Most of them are not very good academically. If you don't mind living east of town, Liberty Lake is a nice community with a good school system. If you want to send your kids to a private school, Gonzaga Prep is a great school. It's Catholic, though. But, academically, it's the best in the area, IMO. I can't answer about seminary- I wasn't a member when I was living there so I don't have knowledge about that.

Walla Walla- home of onions and wine. And wine made from onions. :) I live in WW now. I'm surprised to see how many folks are on here from Eastern/ Central WA. Cool!

My father almost died two years ago. He ended up having quadruple bypass surgery. Last spring, he "pinned" my rank during my commission ceremony. He is a retired Navy officer. He teared up while pinning my beret with his old rank insignia. Very appropriate. Of course, I almost lost it, too. But, so did several people watching who knew the history.

Prevent Disease.com - Why Do We Cry? A scientific theory to why we cry... I think this quote is approrpriate for this thread: ""Crying is a highly evolved behavior," said researcher Oren Hasson, an evolutionary biologist at Tel Aviv University in Israel. "My analysis suggests that by blurring vision, tears lower defenses and reliably function as signals of submission, a cry for help, and even in a mutual display of attachment and as a group display of cohesion."

Exactly. There is also an imbalance of power in the relationship. Like it or not, the bishop has power- he is in a position of authority. A young woman, who is also a convert, may not be comfortable/ confident enough to tell the bishop to stop or to leave. She may think she has to stay and answer the questions, since he is in a position of authority. Young women can be very modest about sexual questions and get embarassed whether or not they are doing something against the LoC. Actually, even young men can get embarrassed about sexuality issues/ questions. There are other people who wouldn't get embarrassed at all. I'm not saying that the bishop was wrong or those questions should never be asked. It just seems too personal unless there is reason for concern.

There are other ways to teach, though. For example, in the conversation state something similar to this, "I know you're a convert and among folks your age there's often confusion about the Law of Chastity..." then go on to explain the law. Then ask if she has any questions or concerns about the topic and/or her relationship. Personally, if a bishop starting asking probing questions, I'd be uncomfortable. It's a boundary violation, for me. I won't speak about anyone else. I have some questions about an older male authority figure asking those type of questions of a young woman anyway.

Maybe it's just me.. but my response would have been "With all due respect, it's none of your business." You can teach about the laws of chastity without asking someone for a "blow by blow" (or kiss by kiss) account of their dating practices. I'm sure the bishop would loovveee my response.

Define 'back in the day' and define 'godly.' Many wise women/ healers/ midwifes were considered "witches" by their communities. "Witch" taking the meaning of "wise one." Christianity vilified the word "witch" and many of the earth based healing practices as being Satanic.

There is actually controversy to what denotes a Wiccan within the pagan community. One group holds to the position that you can only be Wiccan if you complete the 3 year initiatory studies and are formally intiated into a Coven- primarily this is a Gardenarian position. Gardnarian Wiccan is very formal and is a reconstructionist form. Others state that anyone can be Wiccan- including solitaries that are not affliated with a coven. You can self-dedicate/ initiate. This also tends to be where the "eclectic" practices come from. Even within this style, most of the beliefs/ practices are at least loosely based on reconstructionist paganism. They just take it beyond, making it more relevant for them in today's world. There's also Family Trad. Wiccans, wiccans who follow the path of Diana, Green Craft, Celtic, just to name a few.

"Pagan" is an umbrella term, covering many different practices and spiritual beliefs; like "Christian" can refer to people who are LDS, Methodist, Catholic, etc. Most pagan spiritualities honor the Goddess and the God and are nature based. Many follow the seasons of the year and celebrate 8 main holy days. Pagans do not worship Satan nor do they follow occult practices. Most pagan religions do not believe in Satan, as Satan is a Christian belief and not part of the construct of early paganism. One of the major tenets of Wicca-based pagan practice is "an it harm none, do as you will." Basically, don't hurt yourself or others with your actions. The Three-fold law is a concept that what you send out, you get back, three fold. Basically, you get back what you give out. The spirituality is one of balance, more or less. One common symbol people misunderstand, due to popular media, is the pentagram or pentacle. It is a five-sided star, enclosed in a circle. In most pagan practices, the top of the star points upward. The points represent earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. The circle represents protection and the never ending cycle of life. The Holidays Samhain (sow-in) is October 31st. It marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of the Celtic New Year. It is also a day to honor ancestors and is believed that the Spirit World is closer to this world that night. Yule (December 21st) celebrates the shortest day of the year and the rebirth of the God as the Son of Light. Imbolc (Feb 1 or 2) is a day of hope of the coming of the Spring and "plantings" of new beginnings and new hopes. Ostara (spring equinox, somewhere around March 21), is the first day of spring and dark and light are equally balanced. Buds are seen on trees and the hope of spring is starting. The goddess as mother is celebrated. Beltane (May Day)- May 1st. Spring is in full bloom. The Goddess is celebrated. As with Samhain, it is a day where the Other World is closer. As Spring deals with fertility, prayers for good growth of crops and honoring the bounty of the earth are performed. It's a very popular day for handfastings (pagan weddings). The love of the God for the Goddess is also celebrated. Litha (midsummer), about June 21-23. Honors the God- present as the summer warms and the sun becomes more powerful. Ludhnasadh (lo-na-saw)- about August 1st. This is the first of the three harvest festivals. Mabon (September 21- 23)- Fall equinox. The days are equal in length again. It's the second harvest festival. Then we're back to Samhain. The holy days are broken down into quarters and cross quarters. The quarter days are the soltices an equinoxes. The dates they are celebrated will chage yearly, as they follow the path of the sun. The days usually fall between the 21st and 23rd day of the month of the holiday. The cross quarters are approximately half-way between quarter holidays. Anyway, this ends "Wicca- based pagan 101." =) Blessed be!

I think it can be anything from just having fun dressing outside the mores and norms of the society to reflecting something about ourselves. Historically, Halloween was the end of the harvest and the Celtic New Year, and referred to as Samhain ("sow- en") by the Scottish and Irish Celts. October 31st is a day where the other world is considered to be closer to this one and the Veil thinner. Wearing costumes (masks) was in part to appease the spirits and in part to ward them off or make yourself harder to identify.

When I asked a similiar question I was told that we need physical bodies to accept some ordinances, like batism and sealings. Since those in spirit won't have their bodies until the ressurection, a proxy is needed on earth.

Pam quoted this earlier: Spirit prison is a temporary state in which spirits will be taught the gospel and have the opportunity to repent and accept ordinances of salvation that are performed for them in temples (see D&C 138:30–35). Those who accept the gospel may dwell in paradise until the Resurrection. After they are resurrected and judged, they will receive the degree of glory of which they are worthy. Those who choose not to repent but who are not sons of perdition will remain in spirit prison until the end of the Millennium, when they will be freed from hell and punishment and be resurrected to a telestial glory (see D&C 76:81–85). __________________ Doesn't that sentence imply that they could go to the Celestial Kingdom if they had lived that type of lifestyle? I'm thinking people like Mother Theresa.... Hard to imagine her anywhere else. Or even good, decent people of other religions who truly followed what they thought was right.

That depends- are you defining "social religious morals" only in terms of LDS beliefs? There are other religions that do not teach that tattoos are wrong. How are you defining "social norms"? In Seattle, tattoos are fairly common- and they're not just gang/ prison/ biker tatts. THere are professionals with tattoos, college students with tattoos, doctors with tattoos. In the military, tattooing is common. It's maybe not the norm but it is widely seen. As for what's on the inside/ outside... why do you dress in Sunday best when going to Church if the inside is more important? Why do you wear temple garments? My point... you can be concerned with the inside and still have a outside expression.

LOL! When I read the title of this thread, my mind went immediately to Donkey on Shrek! "We're gonna sit up and have manly talk. And tomorrow morning, I'm making pancakes!" That's intresting. I am not at all familiar with the story. Perhaps he was gifted with the ability to understand that donkey? Or could the donkey talk to everyone?>

A few years ago, I had to come up with a costume for work. No masks, no revealing clothing, no violence/ weapons- you know, nice "tame" costumes. I dressed in all black, took a vest and pinned on cereal box tops, a spoon, taped on a bowl, and an empty, cleaned carton of milk... guess what I was??? Right! A Cereal Killer!