Sep
5
2010
SOUTHWEST FILM FESTIVAL
Don’t forget about the film festival coming up this coming weekend. Sounds like it is going to be great. Try to go and participate. ENJOY!!!
Sep
5
2010
America’s Best Health Insurance Program
The nation’s best insurance program will receive a lot of publicity this weekend. Jerry Lewis will conduct the annual Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon this weekend.
The Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon has been a tradition since the first Labor Day telethon in New York City in 1966. Lewis and former comedy partner Dean Martin had previously conducted a telethon in New York City in 1955, but it wasn’t on Labor Day. Jerry Lewis and all the other performers donate their services and receive no payment.
Most people don’t think of MDA as being an insurance program because it doesn’t charge fees from those who need its services. You don’t have to have donated to MDA in the past to benefit from its treatment programs. Patients don’t have to donate money to MDA to continue receiving treatment, but they or their families often help MDA raise money so that it can continue to assist them and others.
MDA not only provides treatment and other services, such as summer camp for children patients, but it also researches the nature of the over 40 neuromuscular diseases it covers and attempts to develop treatments that can cure those disorders or delay their progression.
“The only requirement for receiving an evaluation at an MDA clinic is the written recommendation of a physician in whose judgment a person may have one of the neuromuscular diseases covered by the Association’s medical services program.” This requirement is reasonable because MDA doctors would have less time to treat MDA patients if they had to spend their time diagnosing unrelated disorders.
Similarly, paying only costs not covered by a patient’s regular insurance allows MDA to help more people than it would be able to help otherwise. MDA can’t raise its insurance rates to cover cost increases like traditional private or public insurance programs, so it needs to limit its costs to treatment that isn’t already covered by other insurance programs
MDA is an example of the type of organization we need more of. Other examples are St. Jude’s (supported by the late comedian Danny Thomas and his daughter Marlo) and the Shriners’ hospitals. What they offer is pure insurance. People who can afford to help pool their resources so that whoever needs help can obtain it. The practice is a survival from the days when Americans helped each other without worrying about any immediate benefit for themselves. They helped because they knew that if they needed help others would help them.
MDA’s research focuses on muscular dystrophy, but the treatments and knowledge that research produces can benefit people with other disorders. One of those treatments saved Jerry Lewis’ life several years ago when he had a major heart problem. Recently, MDA researchers announced they have found a way to use a patient’s skin cells as stem cells to treat ALS. Being able to use skin cells as stem cells will help treatment of many other unrelated disorders.
This year’s telethon will be broadcast on local stations throughout the country as well as on cable and satellite on Chicago’s WGN. Those who prefer the Internet can find the telethon on MDA’s website. The website currently has highlights from last year’s telethon available.
Sep
5
2010
Frontier days
This is a little late but I have to say I think they did a great job with it. I had thought it odd that they seemed to think it would be cooler if they had it earlier in the year but it seemed to have worked out. It normally fell around my birthday so that was how I celebrated. 
Mom said that she had read that they were asking what they could do to better it some because people tend to leave right after the parade. I think maybe if they tried holding the parade til last? Though it does seem to be a good start to things. I thought when they brought in the carnival rides and games that was a good addition. Not sure why that didn’t work out. It wasn’t like that for long though. We also noticed they seemed to close up really fast. We were in trying to buy books at the library sale and they were clearing books off the tables early. Maybe some more booths with cotton candy etc (There used to be more I know) to get that smell in the air that you associate with celebrations like that. One complaint I heard was there were alot of people who didn’t realized the date had been moved and missed it. I did really enjoy the petting zoo and so did the kids. I think a great addition to that would have been putting up something with the animal’s stories for people to read. I got to hear some of it while we were standing there and they were very interesting. 
I miss the barbeque too. I remember grabbing some to take home when we were done with the festivities. Something hubby said was that while some of the booths closed early that the ones that stayed for the street dance did really really well. I think they would find that evening activities would go over really well because people are off work and it is cooler. For me I miss out on some of them because of it being early but I think for some people it works out really well. Any other suggestions or comments??? I also would have liked to of seen some of the runners up for some of the contests.
Sep
1
2010
SWFF Needs Volunteers
Guys thank you so much for your support every year. Here we are again.
The Southern Winds Film Festival is set for September 10-11 this year. One of the biggest aspects about the festival that we are most proud of is bringing people to downtown Shawnee for them to experience our town and also to help the businesses around the area. Filmmakers from around the country will be visiting and we want to give them the best experience possible. What this requires is a big volunteer base of people.
WE WILL HOLD A MEETING THIS WEEK FOR PEOPLE TO SIGN UP AND HELP WITH HANGING POSTERS Continue reading
Aug
31
2010
Embarrassed!!!!
As I was inviting a friend to be my friend on facebook, I somehow got my whole email list on the invite.I had some important people on my list. Everyone I ever wrote. I always save contacts. I wonder if they think I’m presumptuous. Well, I’m just tech challenged. I even asked the Library of Congress to be my friend, along with everyone on this newspaper.
I’m just tech challenged. I taught myself everything I know about the web. By trial and many errors.
If the FBI declares me a stalker or the national idiot ,I think most who know me would understand. I could have been considered kinda old before I took this up. Now I use the web for something every day. I’m just not as good at this as the kids.
My 7 year old Gdaughter can do any thing she wants on a computer.