Mrs. Helen Brick Lost Her Life This Morning

I’ve been house-bound the past few months. We are taking care of Colleen’s 95-year-old mother who now requires near constant care and can not be left alone.

Colleen is an RN and we are fortunate to have Henry Ford Home Health Care, Henry Ford e-Home Care and Henry Ford Home Infusion support, without which taking care of Trula would be impossible.

Since I’m working out of the home office and have some medical training and experience, I help take care of her during the day and night time.

Our day normally begins at 4 am and this past Thursday was no exception. We were up taking care of Trula until about 4:40 am. I stopped into the home office and looked out of the window and saw smoke coming out of one of the condos located not too far from us.

A row of condos directly in front of ours obstructed our view of the burning building and we couldn’t see the entire structure. Fearful that our neighbors were in danger, we called our fire department and learned that they were already aware of the fire and on the scene.

Unfortunately, the building was totally engulfed by the time our first responders arrived and Mrs. Helen Brick, our neighbor, did not survive.

I wish I had gotten up earlier and seen the smoke so that we could have alerted our first responders and they could have gotten to her in time. Go here for more about Mrs. Brick.

Cincinnatus - A Leader Geo. Washington Respected

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus  (519 BC – 430 BC) a Roman aristocrat and statesman whose service as consul in 460 BC and dictator in 458 BC and 439 BC made him a model of civic virtue. Twice granted supreme power, Cincinnatus held onto it for not a day longer than absolutely necessary. Early in his life, due to the actions of his son, Caeso Quinctius, Cincinnatus was forced to pay an immense fine, to sell most of his lands and compelled to live in humble circumstances on a small farm, where he and his family were able to subsist on the work of his hands. George Washington admired Cincinnatus. Today, would we value or denigrate Cincinnatus for placing public service above personal gain? (Wikipedia)

Global Localism

Millions of us have given up hope that U.S. Congress will actually address the important issues we face, among them are: 

• Eliminate control of our elected federal officials by the .01% wealthiest people in the U.S.
• Secure a living wage for working Americans
• Bring the “banksters” to justice and re-institute oversight and regulation of the banks 
• Establish a global system to represent and protect the interests of the people of the world against global corporations and banks.

Often it is the local and regional governments which actually work for their citizens’ best interests. They are closer to us and therefore somewhat responsive to us because we actually can talk with them - our mayors, council people, city / township managers and county officials.

Importantly, many cities and regions throughout the world work together to solve common problems. And, they have been doing so for years - without the interference of their national government legislators.

If you are upset with your federal government inaction and believe it is time to do something, then we have an idea for your consideration:

Let’s work together to get things done locally and regionally.

Now is the time for your community to join in.

Please watch Dr. Benjamin Barber's TED talk, “Why Mayors Should Rule the World” below (click on the image) 

“We’re the level of government closest to the majority of the world’s people. While nations talk, but too often drag their heels—cities act.” — New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg 

Please also read Dr. Richard Florida's The Atlantic Cities interview of Dr. Barber here: What If Mayors Ruled the World?

Where to start?

Consider attending: "CityLab: Urban Solutions to Global Challenges," 6-8 October 2013, New York City. 

If it's impossible for you to attend, please visit: EncoreBoomer Hometown.2 You can bet we will be reporting what happens.

Arianna Huffington's Courageous Move

Arianna Huffington's announcement that the Huffington Post will add three new sections including: “Impact”, “Good News” and “What is Working” is a courageous decision to move her media properties toward what the industry as a whole should be doing on a worldwide basis.

Instead of just making more gold doubloons for a tiny few .5%ers to store in their already bulging basement shelters, media should be actually participating in making our culture work for the vast majority of their readers, the 99%ers, by reporting “what people are doing to change and improve our sick cultures” and what is working throughout the world.

Surviving Your Hospital Stay

95-Year-Old Offers 10 Tips for Surviving Your U.S. Hospital Stay

Grosse Ile, MI - Take it from a proven hospital survivor – you need lots of help to survive your U.S. hospital stay.

Recently, Trula Ryan, 95, came home from her 85-day-stint at two metro Detroit hospitals. She is an uncontested survivor and can attest to the fact that the very best tip is, “Stay away from the hospital unless you have no other option and you absolutely must go.”

Following a trip to emergency and hip surgery, Ms. Ryan encountered nearly every medical complication, as well as nearly every prejudice which American culture can dish out on her bumpy road to recovery, including: “You’re 95, you know! What do you expect at your age!” And, Even if you survive breathing with a vent, nobody comes off of them and you will end up on a shelf and have no life anyway.” Plus, Is it really your decision to live or can’t your family just let you go?”

Still, she beat the odds and the naysayers. Today, she’s at home, enjoying watching her beloved Detroit Tigers and giving everyone she sees her trademarked, “Two Thumbs Up!”

Here are Trula’s 10 Tips for Surviving your hospital stay

1. Empower someone you trust and who loves you to be your patient advocate.
2. Each day, especially Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, at the beginning of every shift, your patient advocate must meet and be confident in your assigned nurse. Follow this practice until you leave the hospital.
3. Move to a room, as close to the nurses’ station as you can be. If the room is semi-private, ask for the bed closest to the entry door.
4. Make sure your patient advocate understands which medications your doctor has ordered for you as well as how much of each medication you are to receive.
5. Make absolutely certain that your patient advocate ensures that your nurse correctly administers your medications as your doctor has ordered.
6. Do not submit to any procedure unless you understand that your doctor has ordered it for you and you have agreed to have it done.
7. Closely observe the nursing team and make certain that they wash their hands and use clean gloves; do not use suction tubes which have fallen onto the floor or onto your bed; and maintain sterile technique when required, e.g. when changing a PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) dressing.
8. Question everything and ask your questions in three different ways.
9. Ask what are the known side effects of every medication and procedure.
10. Research everything until you feel comfortable that you understand.

Perhaps, most importantly, says Trula, “Just never give up, no matter who says you can’t make it, because you can!”

Gary’s Question: How does Detroit’s bankruptcy affect YOU?

Recently my brother emailed a question to me. He asked: “How does Detroit’s bankruptcy affect you and the Encore Boomer Movement?”

I answered, “Detroit’s bankruptcy does not directly affect me or the Encore Boomer Movement.”

Still, it offers a unique opportunity to work with existing citizen groups and create new ones within the city to help them help others “redeploy” their resources and energy toward locally owned banks, credit unions and local businesses so that they rebuild their local government into one which represents their interests rather than those of the big international banks and other predatory capitalists (Republicans) / white collar criminals.

We have a lot to do and big money to overcome.

I have come to believe that we, the everyday people, have been the subjects of a long-lived and extremely well executed “mind meld” whereby those with the means to do so have for years successfully manipulated what we accept as the “American Way” into a money making tool which serves their interests alone at our collective loss. One example comes to mind. Remember the draft from the 60s and 70s? It was a big deal back then to serve your country by submitting yourself to the draft, i.e. be a real American and feed yourself to the “the man’s” war machine. As best that I can tell, the only people who benefited from the Vietnam War are the same people who today are “pulling the strings” of the U.S. House of Representatives… they are the 1%.

What do you think?

Congressional Republicans Ciphered Out!

After combing reams of Wiki- leaked NSA data, I’ve finally ciphered it out. The only possible explanation for the Congressional Republicans heartless, soulless “legislative activity” is that they really are not human beings. Rather, they are a heretofore undiscovered shape shifting crocodilian species.