I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

I don't need to speculate about what happened as much of it happened to me. Suffice it to say that the deleted posts were deleted for Very Good Reasons.

I love the cold but Boston --or winter winds in Copley Plaza-- is probably the limit of what I can endure.

Only been to Canada once - would love to go again. I was in Toronto.

A little something for some of the preceding conversations:

Recall a recent time when someone was strongly critical
of your opinions (perhaps your political or religious beliefs).
Now, put yourself in their shoes - with compassion.
Try to understand and appreciate their point-of-view -
not to change your own opinions,
but to celebrate all our human differences - in peace.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Just adding my thanks to the mods.  Not to be contrary to your opinion ( appreciated ) Barb.  If some things like the recent deleted entries were allowed to stand, it would just result I think, in our becoming further from the goal of trying to understand and accept our differences.  I envision total chaos if none of us had to feel the need for constraint or choosing our topics and words carefully most of the time.  I think I would be among the first, since though I'm fairly quiet the majority of the time I am HIGHLY opinionated, to step on toes all over the place and cause a real ruckus. 

I think we all miss to great extent, not being able to say what we'd like to ---  because often we don't get to be totally ourselves, but there are rules for a reason.  I am still missing the "viewpoints" that were so informative to me of many of the political discussions we had, but religion and politics and a few other things just are giant catalysts for "educating" the other side a bit too harshly most of the time. 

I'm glad that you care, but it really was a well deserved deletion.  As you say we are adults but policing ourselves so often does not work well.  It doesn't work well in many places....just look how long it took Washington's cliff problem not yet doing so well.  So lets just put this aside now and go on being friends as fellow travelers on the same path with different ways of seeing many things.  We can learn from each other even when we disagree on things. 

Jackie 

Forgot to add......if I had to go "somewhere" and could not stay here in the place where I was born and raised.....I'd definitely have Canada very near the top of my list.  Only thing higher might be a warm climate since we are in a single digit temp. time right now.  Go figure.....last winter it was so warm ---  paying for it this winter so far.  At least the sun it out which gives you a "warmer" sensation.  I also am well aware sensations aren't really "warn".  Yikes.....hoping for a bit of warmth soon.

Jackie

I spent a week in Vancouver 2 years ago and just loved it! If we were much younger I think I'd push for a move to Canada. I've also been to Calgary and Lake Louise. Everything I've seen in Canada has been awesome, in stark contrast to India.

Some of you may have missed it a page or so back, (between Susieq and Alyson), but there is some question of where the great dessert pavlova (yes, the dessert, not the Russian ballerina!) originated  -- Australia or NZ.

So gals, care to provide a definitive answer?

Athena, Austin and the surrounds aren't anywhere near big city status but for a medium city you'd be surprised at how many psych's won't take new patients.....most of them won't take insurance of any kind. Access to competent care is woefully low in this country.

It's terrible Chickadee. Been paying through the nose for years, but I have no choice. I need a top notch doctor - and I had to work to find one who was not too busy doing research and able to see new patients.

The other thing I notice is that many top docs in other common specialties are not accepting insurance either. I had to self-pay for an endocrinology consult. I asked around for obgyns and all the names I was given were people who do not take insurance (I finally went to Johns Hopkins).

Now I am wondering whether I will have to go self-pay for a PCP! There are some good ones who take insurance, but my medical picture is too complicated and most are so busy seeing so many patients that they don't give you the time of day. The ones that give you loads of time demand pay.

It's an abominable situation.

Athena, I'm really sorry you had to go through that hell. I've only had a problem with dentists not taking our insurance. We're in Kansas and have BC/BS through my husband's university. Hopefully the ACA will make things equitable all over the country, so that EVERYBODY can see good docs and be covered.

Lindasa - you hit the nail on the head. The ACA, contrary to what some think, is far and away from anything approaching universal healthcare. It actually represents government assistance to help insurers get customers, in many ways.

Also, insurance companies tend to base their reimbursements on procedures like EKGs or IV drugs, tests, etc.... Psychiatrists don't do such procedures, and they usually work alone, so they don't have secretaries to process payments to insurances. They would have to accept very low payments if they accept insurance - and most do that because they have to.

If you have a good health plan with out-of-pocket coverage you can still submit an invoice to the insurer for some reimbursements but it is usually a percentage of what you paid. It is a percentage of what is known as "usual and customary fees" (a total lie - Usual and customary is about $300/hour - but according to some insurance companies it is about $80. Thieves.)

And here is an interesting factoid....showing just how evil Medicare is (bring out ghosts, scary music and animals with horns): When I had insurance from the largest insurance company in my region, the amount they were willing to reimburse me for my psychiatrist was BELOW the amount Medicare would have reimbursed him. So much for "private does it better!"

Of course, right now I am paying a foreleg and a hindleg because I don't evfen have insurance at the mo...

Edited for clarification.

To add to my above post: so one thing many psychs do is to do less psychotherapy and more medication management. That way they charge for just 15 min. appointments, make more money, and the therapy is left for less highly qualified people. I don't believe therapy can be performed by someone who does not understand the medical basis of illness (although therapy by less qualified people can be fine for non-illness related things like marriage counselling, etc...) so I insist that that the doctor do both. The good doctors prefer to give patients better care, so they do both. But for the price they charge relatively few people will come. Therefore, they can only congregate in metropolitan areas, generally. There is an enormous disparity in care for this reason as well.

And, of course, the most impaired --those in need of the most comprehensive services-- usually get the worst care. They are often left with overstressed city oir state agencies.

And I don't see any of this changing due to the ACA at all. The ACA will mandate that insurers provide mental health coverage. The Mental Health Parity Act demands that IF insurers provide mental health coverage they do so under the same terms as they provide medical coverage. Many insurers have opted out of providing mental health coverage for this "reason".

Pavlova - don't know what it is, but must be delicious - and I'd be happy to learn to cook some for anybody who can help me shovel snow  It is SO cold, and the snow is light powdery, and keeps blowing back, very windy, to eveyplace I try to shovel clear...kinda reminds me of when I used to iron clothes.  Which I gave up years ago, t shirts, polo necks, stretchy pants - that's it.  I don't mind shoveling as much as I did ironing, but even with huge polertec mittens - oooooh, cold fingers....staying well blow freezing for days, and not expected to go above until later in the week.

On the happy side, finally made it down to the street to get newspaper out of the "sleeve" it's put in - and the sun was glinting off the fields of snow, pure white ( this is very rural) and honestly, it looked as if someone had sprinkled diamonds all over the snow.  Used snowshoes to get to street, chuckled watching sheep on farm across the street, they looked like rolling snow balls....

Back to shoveling snow...thanks to all for being respectful, and supporting the Mods in keeping the place as "Civil" as possible.  AND, for the IGNORE button, oh, what a useful function - wish more people would use it - and happy sliding down the flattened cliff.  YEAH, Medicare - Enjoyful, my experience has been like yours...very, very good.

Oh, is that about John the Fathead Bolton - the guy who was UN ambassador but wanted the place burned - and his fellow airheads? Yep. The really sick people deserve compassion.

Sunny - when I got home from Australia, I bought a down under dessert cookbook so I could make Pavlova.  It is very easy.  My sweet tooth has mellowed over the years and I'm not sure I could actually eat this dessert anymore, but it was good when sugar was highly appreciated.  ps. Your snow sounds just like my snow, though mine is much older, frozen and unshovelable.  I have to wear Yaks, or I would have killed myself by now on the ice.

Lindasa,

I'd never heard of the dessert, pavlova, so I googled it and came up with this:

"Pavlova (pav-LOH-vuh) - The Pavlova consists a base made of a meringue crust topped with whipped cream and fresh fruits such as kiwis (the fruit!), strawberries, etc. It is considered a fresh fruit pie with a meringue crust.

No one knows who first created the Pavlova.  But the name and the recipes first began appearing soon after Russian prima ballerina, Anna Matveyevna Pavlova (1881-1931), toured both Australia and New Zealand in 1926 and Australia again in 1929. Anna Pavlova was considered the greatest ballerina of her time and her visit to New Zealand has been described as "the chief event of 1926." It was said "She does not dance; she soars as though on wings." From this you get the sense that this is a light, airy dessert.

There is a controversary with both Australia and New Zealand. While it has been suggested this dessert was created in New Zealand, it has also become recognized as a popular Australian dish. Both countries claim to have invented this dessert and claim it as their national dish."

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/Pavlova.htm

Hmmmmm, will be fun to hear Alyson's and Suzie's opinions on the great pavlova debate!