Rants and Raves

The Mayo Clinic, praised by President Barack Obama as a national model for efficient health care, has stopped accepting Medicare patients at one of its primary-care clinics in Arizona, saying the government pays too little. More than 3,000 patients eligible for Medicare will be forced to pay cash if they want to continue seeing their doctors at the Mayo family clinic in Glendale. Medical facilities and many doctors have stopped taking on new...  

Here it is, Rants! & Raves!, your weekly opportunity to sound off about the week past. Remember the rules: A Rave! is something that happened during the past week that you’re pleased about and is signified by the word “Rave!” and/or an appropriately peppy emoticon (see Website Help to learn how to use emoticons, aka “smileys”). A Rant! is something [...]  

Rants, Raves & Recommendations · Home · Jules Cowan-Dewar. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I'm currently reading. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I can't put it down. Source. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated) ...  

I am so tired of the media crucifying Tiger [Woods]. Most all the celebrities have a sex addiction; some just do not get caught. I think what Michael Vick did fighting pit bulls is 100 times worse than Tiger's situation. Tiger has a sex addiction and immaturity to boot. I feel like if he will get the right therapy, he will rehabilitate and even save his marriage. Look at those two beautiful children.Let's all go on food stampsread more  

Jack Del Rio is certainly not the worst coach in the NFL. In fact, he's probably somewhere right in the middle tier. But after seven years with some of the weapons he's had on both sides of the line and only one playoff win, it's time to find a coach more capable of making this team more productive. It's nice to make a gutsy play every now and again, but there are times when you just don't do it.read more  

RAVE: For the life and the many community contributions of Hank Schmitt, a former radio newsman and more recently United Way spokesman who died recently after a long battle with heart disease. "I always described him as one of the good guys," said United Way Executive Director Charlie Colvin of Schmitt. "He lived to help people. If he wasn't working here, he'd be out delivering meals to shut-ins or helping the Salvation Army." "He lived to...  

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says there is no indication that the man who attempted to destroy an airliner in Detroit on Christmas Day is part of a larger terrorist plot. The suspect claims to have been trained by Al-Qaeda in Yemen. Yet, Napolitano doesn’t think that means there is a larger terrorist plot to kill Americans. A statement like that above disqualifies Napolitano from being the Homeland Security secretary.read more...  

My neighbor and friend met a Mrs. Glover in Walmart a few days ago. Mrs. Glover asked her if she knew anyone who would like a poinsettia but could not afford it.My friend immediately thought of me. ... So Mrs. Glover purchased a beautiful plant for my friend to take home to me. When I saw it on my porch, and my friend told me how it came to me, I was amazed. I've been very down and this is such a blessing. Thank you, Mrs. Glover, you are a...  

With or without health insurance or even Tri-Care, anyone over 55 is being told what drugs, treatments, etc. are necessary, whether by our insurance, pre-existing conditions or lack of insurance or money. Once this baby boom generation is successfully eliminated, the budget will balance and the deficit can be reduced. The baby boom generation is the cause of all the issues and problems. I am a proud member of this group and hope one can see...  

Regarding the statement on the cover of this week's Jack - "For a year now, we've made it our job to keep you entertained" - You are so right! I am entertained every Friday with the same conversation between my husband and me: "Why don't they fold this thing in the center?" ... I realize this is not on the scale of, say, global warming or whether there is a Santa Claus, but it royally irritates senior citizens. Just try folding it back to the...  

The writer who said that conservatives are shaking in their boots because of the New York City trial of murdering terrorists is absolutely right. I can't imagine why any true American would want to want to afford these murderers the rights afforded our own citizens.read more  

The reason the Jags are not selling tickets has nothing to do with the race of the quarterback. It has everything to do with the recession and the cost to attend a game. It would not hurt either if the Jags had a good team and a good record. Jags fans are fickle and will only attend when they are winning.read more  

The big, bad conservatives are shaking in their cowboy boots over [Khalid Sheikh Mohammed] coming to NYC. I thought it was the lefties who were the cowards. Wrong again! You don't hear them crying over his certain demise. Bring him on, try him and execute him. The sooner, the better! Liberals are not running for cover; they are ready for the fight. Let the families of his victims revel in the glory of his death. Let's give him the opportunity...  

This rant is for the woman driving the small red car in the parking garage of St. Vincent’s Medical Center on the morning of ... Nov. 16. My husband and myself were walking to our car and noticed a lady was stopped because her car would not work. The woman in the red car was beeping her horn because all cars were not moving. When she beeped her car horn, it upset my husband. ... He and another man were trying to help the lady whose car would...  

Kudos to Applebee's and Publix for their great support of military personnel on Veterans Day. I attended the free dinner offered at Applebee's on Veterans Day for all military personnel. ... Young and old, in uniform or not, we all appreciated their "appreciation" of the veterans effort. When stopping later at Publix, I was surprised when a manager swiped a credit card, before I could, to pay my $19.30 grocery bill and thanked me for my...