Emarketer has published a report that finds that more than half of vacationers use the world wide web to help plan their trips. I'm really not surprised at all. I recently took a trip to Albany, New york. The flights were booked using Orbtiz, the hotel reservations were made after locating a nearby hotel online, and mapquest was consulted for the most efficient route home (we flew up and drove
Saturday, 25 November 2006
Can Wifi make you ill?
Posted on 07:10 by Unknown
Here's a link to an article about a woman who claims that wireless internet has made her ill.Wireless technology made me sick I have to admit, I've wondered about this myself. Truth is, humanity did not evolve under the conditions we currently live in: television broadcasts, radio waves, cell phone transmissions, broadband output, etc, etc. Those who say there's nothing to worry about point to
Quebec an independent nation within Canada?
Posted on 07:03 by Unknown
The candian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, told Canada's parliament that the province of Quebec would be recognized by his office as a nation. What does this really mean? Who knows. "Nation", in this instance, however, seems to be more analogous to (I can't think of another example) an indian nation, as opposed to a sovereign nation. In other words, kind of a nation, but not quite a nation.PM to
Thursday, 23 November 2006
Will Nintendo's Wii revolutionize gaming?
Posted on 08:32 by Unknown
With regard to this question, I don't have clue nor a crystal ball. However, the latest gaming console from nintendo, the Wii (pronounced "we") may be up for the task.Honestly, when I first heard about the unconventional controllers for Nintendo's Wii, (you actually hold them in each hand to enable onscreen actions versus the standard types of controllers that require two hands to manipulate
How much information should you put on a disability application ?
Posted on 08:27 by Unknown
Someone who was considering filing for disability benefits once asked me this question and the actual point of the question was---how detailed should you be when it comes to supplying information about medical treatment on a disability application. My answer was "give them (meaning social security) complete and accurate information, as much as you can possibly recall".Here's the thing. After a
Wednesday, 22 November 2006
Apple stock and good decisions
Posted on 10:48 by Unknown
Just as the price of an individual share of google stock is at all-time high, so are shares of apple. According to some industry watchers, Apple will soon reveal plans for an Iphone (get it? Ipod, Iphone?) that will incorporate the features of mobile phones with music capability. Ordinarily, I would think this is just another company jumping on the latest bandwagon (I'll be honest, I don't even
The Google millionaires
Posted on 10:47 by Unknown
Well, I told my sister-in-law to buy google stock when the company IPO'd. And she didn't. Back then, the stock opened with a value of about 87 dollars if memory serves. This week, google stock passed the 500 mark per share, giving the company a market capitalization of 156 billion dollars. And just as was the case with microsoft years ago, there are now a great many happy twenty-somethings at
Disability and Breast Cancer
Posted on 10:44 by Unknown
I came across a post on Gimpgirl's blog about breast cancer patients. Actually, it's a repost of a reuter's article that states that the death rate of breast cancer patients who've had early treatment is higher than the death rates for women without disabilities. Hmmm. Seems kind of obvious that that would be the case. Well, gimp girl didn't write the article, rather someone at reuters or AP.The
Can you change disability lawyers if you are not satisfied ?
Posted on 10:35 by Unknown
Yes, you can. At any point in the process of pursuing disability benefits (the application or on an appeal), you can change representation. However, even if you are dissatisfied with your disability lawyer or non attorney representative, you should be very careful about seeking new representation. In other words, with something as important as who represents your disability claim, don't make this
Saturday, 18 November 2006
Healthcare and disability - reform may rear its head again
Posted on 04:01 by Unknown
An AP article quoted Senator Hillary Clinton as stating "Healthcare is coming back. It may be a bad dream for some".Is healthcare reform necessary? To me, its incomprehensible that someone would think an overhaul of the system is not necessary. Sure, the U.S. healthcare system may be one of the best in the world...but it doesn't work at all if you become disabled and lose your insurance
Walmart and the holidays
Posted on 03:53 by Unknown
I came across a recent reuters article that indicated Walmart's management is upbeat about their sales forecasts for the upcoming holidays. Well, why wouldn't they be? They only plan to wreck havoc with the burgeoning plasma tv and lcd market by dramatically undercutting other electronics retailers.A friend of mine informed me that he read an article about Walmart's plans to seriously undercut
Exercise as a preventative against disability arising from arthritis
Posted on 03:49 by Unknown
I read this in a WebMd news article. A Northwestern University study of more than 3500 individuals over the age of 50 has found correlations between the limiting effects of arthritis and the amount of physical activity engaged in by study participants. Those who exercised at least a half hour per day, 5 days per week, were found to be least likely to become disabled as a result of their arthritic
Good grief, this guy is a news conduit?
Posted on 03:47 by Unknown
Talk-news host Larry King not only does not use the internet, he is completely resistant to ever using it. This came out on King's show during an interview with comedienne Roseanne Barr.The amazing thing is, during the interview King references statements written by Barr on her blog. Does King really even know what a blog is? Can he even conceptualize it? For someone who can't even type in www
Friday, 17 November 2006
Using pollution to fight global warming
Posted on 06:25 by Unknown
An article appeared on Cnn.com a few days ago bearing the title: pollution could combat global warming. Scientist Paul Crutzen's idea is that pollutants, discharged into the atmosphere, might serve as a barrier between the earth and the sun, helping to cool the planet.I have no doubt this idea sounds strange to anyone who reads or hears it. But let's talk for a second about the potential effects
Surprising news about angioplasty
Posted on 06:23 by Unknown
A reuter news article states that an angioplasty may only provide benefits to a patient who has suffered a heart attack if the angioplasty is performed within the first twelve hours of a heart attack. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, using an angioplasty to restore blood flow three days following the occurrence of a heart attack provides no benefit other than what can be achieved
Senate hearings on global warming
Posted on 06:22 by Unknown
Senator Barbara Boxer is planning is planning to conduct "a very long process of extensive hearings" on global warming. Not a bad idea, particularly if it leads to some of our elected leaders becoming more educated on the various facets of this issue. However, one potential critic may have had a point when he said that efforts to curb global warming may not be fruitful unless all the big players
Air guitar for real
Posted on 06:17 by Unknown
BBC News reported that scientists in Australia (if you want to say the word right, it is actually pronounced "os-stray-lee-ah") have come up with...a t-shirt that allows a person to play air guitar and actually have the sound produced. The shirt has sensors which record an individual's movements and relays these recordings to a computer which then translates the movements into sound. In other
Saturday, 11 November 2006
Social Security Budget cuts - the word is getting out (finally)
Posted on 05:46 by Unknown
Headquartered in Jackson Heights, New York, the United Spinal Association has posted an action alert regarding Congress' significant slashing of the administration's budget request for the social security administration.ACTION ALERT: Help Prevent Social Security Budget Cuts Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts A disability claim tip: Never never never call the
Thursday, 9 November 2006
Ed Bradley - dead at 65
Posted on 10:14 by Unknown
You know you're getting older when it seems to you that a lot of familiar faces are starting to pass. This one was a little bit of a shocker. To me, 65 just doesn't seem that old anymore. In fact, I tend to think that if you don't make it into your early eighties, you've been cheated.Mr. Bradley died at age 65 of leukemia complications.60 Minutes' Ed Bradley Dead At 65 Return to the Social
Wednesday, 8 November 2006
Advances in stem cell research
Posted on 16:46 by Unknown
Myocardial infarctions, or heart attacks, always involve necrosis (tissue death) of cardiac tissue. Consequently, even a mild heart attack causes permanent damage to the heart muscle. But what if the damaged heart tissue could actually be repaired from "the ground up".According to this article, a new procedure may use stem cells from a heart attack patient's own bone marrow to initiate repairs
Social Worker On-line training
Posted on 16:44 by Unknown
I'm posting about this for no reason other than the fact that I find it interesting. A course is being offered by Austin Community college to become...a social security disability advocate. The course has been approved by the national association of social workers and is being taught by an individual who is both a former social worker and a former disability examiner. The course seems to be aimed
Is it easier to get disability if you are older ?
Posted on 16:32 by Unknown
To some extent, the answer to this question is yes. In the U.S., the disability system is currently set up so that older individuals get some consideration for their age. For example, the medical-vocational framework of rules (known as the grid) makes it easier for individuals who are fifty and over to get approved versus individuals who are younger than fifty. The system also gets a little
Will the severity of a condition determine if you can get approved for disability ?
Posted on 16:28 by Unknown
In my last post, I mentioned an online discussion that I took part in. One of the participants in the discussion was from England and one of his questions about the U.S. disability system was this: "Surely the help that people are entitled to depends on the severity of the condition?"And the answer to the question is Yes. In the U.S. disability system (the social security disability and SSI
Is it hard to get approved for disability with Chronic Fatigue ?
Posted on 14:59 by Unknown
I took part in an online discussion recently and the individual who initiated the discussion professed a certain belief. Basically, he thought it should be easier to get approved for social security disability or SSI on the basis of a medical impairment for which the cause is not completely known, such as chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia. Is he correct in this belief? Is it easier (compared to
Tuesday, 7 November 2006
How to get approved for SSI disability
Posted on 06:31 by Unknown
I came across a question the other day and the question was, "Is getting approved for ssi disability different from getting approved for social security disability.Answer: there is no difference in procedure between the two programs. And after a disability application has been taken at a social security field office, there is practically no distinction as to whether or not the app was for title
Thursday, 2 November 2006
A Disability resource for Veterans
Posted on 12:23 by Unknown
I don't often point out or recommend other websites, but yesterday I came across a site that had linked to Disability Secrets. I need to read all of it, but with just the amount I've read so far this seems to be quite an excellent veterans disability resource, written by a vet. The site is http://veteransdisability.blogspot.comReturn to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits BlogOther Posts
Voting in the Wrong Precinct - Anne Coulter
Posted on 12:21 by Unknown
According to an ap article by Brian Skoloff, columnist and flamethrower Anne Coulter has refused to cooperate in an investigation of whether or not she knowingly voted in the wrong precint in a Palm Beach, Florida election. This may be making a mountain out of a mole hill, but the matter may be exacerbated by the fact that Coulter did not respond to 4 separate letters sent to her by the elections
Microsoft may actually take a stand in China
Posted on 12:19 by Unknown
This is actually some pretty fascinating news. A major American corporation, and a tech company at that, may actually stand up and make a statement against the government policies of the People's Republic of China. I say more power to Microsoft if they do...you know, I saw a PBS frontline documentary about a year ago and the connection between Walmart and the PRC is amazing. Walmart actually
Social Security Privatization - they are at it again
Posted on 12:15 by Unknown
I found an article on yahoo news (I won't link to it because, unfortunately, unlike BBC News articles, yahoo news articles expire after a certain point) that states that, according to the National Social Security Council of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE, my wife's union), the white house is once again renewing attempts to privatize the social security system.According to
Florida Disability Lawyers - Advice on Disability Claims
Posted on 12:02 by Unknown
If you are filing for social security disability or SSI, or have already filed, and are looking for representation in the state of Florida, you shouldn't have too much difficulty finding assistance. A search for, florida disability lawyers, will generally result in about five million pages on google. Which is not surprising since Florida is one of the most populous states in the nation and
Wednesday, 1 November 2006
Selling or buying a computer on Ebay
Posted on 12:13 by Unknown
I just a bought a laptop from a seller on ebay. Would I generally advise someone to do this? I'm not sure I would wholehearterdly do so because of the risks. In my case, I wanted a particular type of laptop: the compaq presario m2000---it has a fanatastic keyboard that is very smooth for little stress on the fingers (anyone who types all day long will know how important this aspect of a keyboard
Auto insurance cheaters in the garden state
Posted on 12:10 by Unknown
Richard Rubin, of the Charlotte Observer, writes that North Carolina plays a role in a new type (new to me, at least) of insurance scam. Apparently, because its so easy to get an NC plate (you don't need an NC license or proof of residence to get a vehicle registered here), drivers in new jersey (and also the state of new york) are getting them simply to get their vehicles insured at North
What are you paying for when you get a disability lawyer
Posted on 11:40 by Unknown
This is a very interesting question, mainly because there are so many assumptions as to what one will get when social security disability representation is obtained. Here are some of those assumptions:1. A disability lawyer will ensure that my social security disability or ssi case is won.2. A disability lawyer will be able to speed my case up.3. A disability lawyer will do everything for me on
Why anyone can be represented on a disability or ssi claim
Posted on 11:36 by Unknown
It occurred to me at one point (and it has reoccurred to me many times since then) that, in the U.S., one's ability to seek and derive justice, and one's treatment in the justice system itself, may be mediated by one's finance's, i.e. ability to pay upfront. Getting assistance on a traffic case is one example of this phenomenon. If you have the cash (and depending on the infraction and the state
Don't drink 'em
Posted on 11:33 by Unknown
What I mean by this tag line is that I personally don't drink them. But, according to the associated press, 31 percent of American teenagers do (That's nearly eight million U.S. teens). What are they? Energy drinks. Some of these drink concotions are served in containers that are only 2/3 the size of a regular soft drink can, yet have up to four times the amount of caffeine as a can of coke. Does
I won't be vacationing there I guess
Posted on 11:30 by Unknown
I had no idea this was true. St. Louis, Missouri has been ranked as the most dangerous city in America in which to live. I guess most of us don't really associate the midwest with high and rising crime rates, but, according to FBI statistics, crime is going up much faster in the heartland than in the rest of the USA. And in St. Louis, crime rates skyrocketed 20 percent from 2004 to 2005.Return to
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