I had to admit it. I was wrong! I was ecstatic when Marleen said our baby boy wouldn’t be flying here after all. He wasn’t flying here because the number of available seats were all paid for and accounted for. “That proves I was wrong about the economy. It IS turning around.”

How wonderful it felt to be wrong. I was ready to leap to my feet and start dancing. Unfortunately, I decided to call my economist first with the good news indicator that he too had missed.

Next time I’ll leap to my feet first and call him only after the jig is done. At least I would be happy for a few minutes.

It used to be that full plane seats was a sure sign of a healthy, affluent society; more people were lining up to depart because they had more money to spend. Now full seats aren’t a good indicator, said my economist. Now it is just a sign of accurate retrenching – and if it lasts beyond Easter it will be a sure sign that air lines expect the economy to shrink even more.

All things adjust to changes in the environment. When the weather warms up, buds appear on the trees and weeds sprout in the yard. Compensation is a law of nature.

Because of the sorry economy, air lines have adjusted everything that can be adjusted. They have pared off unprofitable routes entirely and cut back on the number of flights. So, the laws of nature declare that the time is right for air lines to reduce, reduce and reduce. People are like bull frogs in a stew pot; no matter how hot the water becomes, they get used to it.  Now the seats are fuller because of the reductions, because those that fly are uncomplainingly rearranging their schedules to fit the restricted number of available seats.

Fuller seats, fewer flights, less crew, smaller payroll and more efficient fuel usage.  That’s easy to get used to.

Furthermore, even if this were a seasonal overcrowding, the public is not spending money here, they are buying their tickets on credit. Nobody pays cash any more; credit is the way to fly today. Such spending does not prove the economy is improving, only that the public is now ready to bet someone else’s money that the economy is improving. They HOPE the economy will improve, and HOPE they won’t have to declare bankruptcy if their hopes are dashed.

In actuality this bustle of credit spending must be a sure sign that the public has become selfishly grim about its personal debt. By their nature, those institutions that put up the money for credit spending can not tell present card holders that there is no more money to spend. They can’t even reveal the credit crunch is crushing their little fairy wings by slashing the credit limits on those cards already in the hands of spenders. They know that Big Brother only provides bailouts to Big Buddies with generous pockets.

Therefore, the retrenching inside the lending institutions must be done in less obvious ways. We can expect to see fewer new cards being issued, and at the same time the limits will be tucked in nicely. Nobody in voodoo land will notice a thing, but the aggregate of available “money” will shrink. Poor people will see their access ceiling raise even as they approach it.

“So, my credit isn’t good enough?”

No, Sir. Not for a card/loan of “this” size. No Sir.

Even “wealthier” people will see their points rise to unacceptable rates. I’m sorry, their bankers will say, according to our tables you no longer qualify for special consideration. In fact, we may have to call your current note in and you’ll lose the ranch if you can’t find another lender.

The aggregate will shrink and those affected will cry and those that aren’t affected will breathe a great sigh of relief. As the bull frogs know, the water in the stew pot feels normal in just a short time.

I pray that you won’t croak before our financial waters come to a boil.

Lin Stone

I woke up just a few minutes ago with the most horrible itching I’ve had in years.  It was so awful that I was raw and bleeding. Salves weren’t going to cure this; I grabbed the rubbing alcohol.  You probably have  had some minor tingling experiences with rubbing alcohol on minor abrasions; this was a hundred times worse — and when the screaming was all over and done with the horrible itching came right back.

Maybe I’d better start a little earlier in the narrative.  Early on in life I found out the hard way that I’m victim of multiple chemical sensitivity reactions.  ANYBODY can drink out of a plastic hose; one tiny sip will literally kill me.

Okay, back to the narrative again.  A friend of mine that doesn’t know I have this horrible problem, suggested that I take cayenne pepper for another problem and I’ve just found out that cayenne pepper oozes out of my pores, and then chafes the skin.  Oh boy.  I am on fire everywhere!

Rubbing alcohol is not coming to the rescue and I’m heading back into the bedroom to get some clean underwear when suddenly I spot the sassafras tea still in the bottle from my last summer on the ranch.  This is a detour sign and I make a 180 back into the bathroom with sassafras firmly clutched in my hands.

Sassafras tea, not root beer, is a good counter-irritant to the threat of poison oak, poison ivy. Root beer comes from the roots; this comes from the leaves.  As good as it works it could be dangerous so be careful with it.  Yes, I am very serious about this.

I have already bathed in alcohol several times with only seconds of relief.  Now I splash on the never-foaming cleanser from the hills of Arkansas.  Not only does it not burn me, but it immediately soothes that cayenne pepper itch.  20 minutes later and it is only those places I couldn’t reach with one or both of my hands that is still itching.

Sassafras tea has worked just as well for heavy-welted cases of poison ivy.  It is the spring of the year in North America and poison ivy is one of the more vigorous climbers known to man.  If it grows in your neck of the woods there is a good chance you’ll come into contact with it at least once or twice.  If all else fails, remember the cure.  You other multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome sufferers can use it on the way to the hospital.

Oh, if you have a little patch of woods that you call your own, borrow some goats and take a walk through the woods with them.  Call it a nature walk and walk real slow.  Goats love poison oak and poison ivy more than anything else besides kudzu.  They will dine fine on poison ivy and usually even gain weight.  Give them half a chance and goats will tear poison oak and poison ivy plants right out of the ground to get the last little bite.

Health insurance should never be taken lightly. This is especially true when traveling to another country. You cannot take your local insurance with you. You will need to purchase an international insurance plan, like the one being offered at

http://www.talewins.com/Life/International.htm

Many of these plans will cover you for up to six months of travel in another country. International insurance by its very nature must cover a wide variety of challenges, therefore, don’t be surprised when you are asked to divulge a long list of health information to be accepted. This will range from health problems you’ve had in the past ten years, your hereditary conditions to substance abuse, and almost everything else. In fact, if it has anything to do with your health, be prepared to disclose that information. Furthermore, if you will be traveling with more than one family member, then be prepared to give information for each family member as well.

Before you begin asking about price, determine if you are investigating an HMO or PPO. If you are under an HMO or health maintenance organization, then you will be limited to receiving care only from the providers who are in their network. You can retrieve a list of all the companies within that insurer’s network upon request. If you will be under a PPO, or preferred provider organization, then you will have the opportunity to pick the best nearby facility you see fit, however your PPO insurer will only cover a portion of the incurred cost.

There are many options that can be applied to expatriate health insurance depending on your family’s needs and how long you plan on spending abroad. If you plan on staying abroad for more than six months then you should look into what is called expatriate health insurance. Only larger companies supply this type of insurance, as it is much more extensive with the type of options that can be applied to each policy. The type of treatment options that are covered with expatriate health insurance are those that are labeled as specialty treatments, like chiropractic therapy and acupuncture.

Be sure you understand every aspect of your policy before narrowing your choice to any one particular company.



ANY health insurance is better than none, but why settle for ANY when you can pick and choose your health insurance provider from the very best, and find the coverage you want at a price you can afford.

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