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In my humble opinion, it is a classic of modern literature. sm

Posted By: GLF on 2006-06-02
In Reply to: What is the Stand about? Gave up King a long time ago. - sm

The Stand is about the end of the world as we know it, wherein mankind are drawn to the good and bad forces to make their final stand (thus the name).  The bad are drawn to Las Vegas, the good to Boulder, I think.  It's been awhile since I read it.  They made a TV movie of it but it was ruined by Molly Ringwald.  Gary Sinese saved the say, though!   At any rate, the book starts out with a virus that been set loose on mankind and goes from there. It is not King's usual fare and you will be missing a wonderful experience it you don't read it!


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Just my humble opinion.....the man had a lot more to be
worried about than someone finding out he had visited porn sites......! This isn't a crime and a lot of married men do that. If you look at all the forensic evidence along with all the circumstantial evidence I definitely believe this guy is guilty. As far as the porn stuff, it was more than looking at porn; from what I've read he was running a scheme with porn sites, taking people for their money....
10-14 cpl. In my humble opinion. nm
x
Lori, This is just my humble opinion... sm
but if this was me (and I agree it isn't) I would not rule out getting to know the retired people in your community. It may be through them that you meet other people your own age. For me, I have met friends that were originally friends of friends. I agree it may be hard to find something in common with someone who is not your own age, but if the retired people there are like my next door neighbors, I just listen and they do all the talking. It's a pretty easy conversation and sometimes pretty interesting.

OK, take this little piece of opinion for what it is worth. If it doesn't work for you, that is okay.
Lori, This is just my humble opinion...
MTHubie,

I do actually have 3 retired friends, but they are pretty busy with their families and being grandmas - so we do get times to chat now and then, but just not on the level I am needing I guess. I also visit with my landlord as well, as she lives across the lane from me, but she is hardly ever home. I probably sound pretty backwards and I honestly have never had problems making friends - but I am not backwards and I have many interests - just not living in a location that is plentiful with organizations or functions that I can embrace and therefore meet people. I appreciate your thoughts and ideas and I thank you for your input!!
lorlyn
....in my humble opinion as you're not in and out with the
s
OK, this is in my own very humble opinion...smCindiRI
...but if I could buy only one book, (and this is after continuously updating and expanding during 20 years), I would still buy my big, old, heavy, but worth-its-weight-in-gold Hardcover Dorland's Complete Medical Dictionary. It is not only one of the most comprehensive dictionaries in terms, diseases, syndromes, anatomy, tables GALORE, etc., but the cross-referencing is superb, there are wonderful tables like musculature of the body (illustrated) to be sure of terms in your report, list of things like common abbreviations, eponyms, drugs, weights and measures, just sooooo much, I use it constantly. I have ALL the Stedman's wordbooks, Saunder's, Mosby's, HPI series, Medical Phrase Index, etc., but if I were stranded on that desert island (I wish!) with my laptop and only one book, yup, it would be the big ole Dorland's! Worth the price, what an investment.
Yes, very high in my oh so humble opinion....
I am making 10 cpl and was told how much they are charging. Not a good move on their part I think! I may have gone on in misery and not even questioned it had I not known that little tidbit. I am pretty much exhausted now and think I have had enough!
In my most humble opinion, I think credentialing is a crock. SM

You hit the nail on the head - its a test created by a group that requires you pay $100 or so for membership (I haven't checked what their fees are for a while), $80 for their rule book, and then $300 to take their test.  And for what?  A penny more per line, maybe? 


Not to mention, the organization which is supposed to be setting the tone and the standards in the medical transcription industry continually and consistently subverts the interests of the American MTs that were the life's blood of their association at its inception back in the good 'ol days.  Without us, their little club would not have grown as it did.  Instead of focusing on the needs of the American MTs and championing causes that would improve our industry and our pay checks, they have embraced offshoring, calling it the globalization of the workforce and say it the wave of the future and its progress.  And as they ride this wave of the future, they leave the American MT in their wake betrayed and alone and poor.


I have have a deep moral objection to giving one cent of my hard earned money to the AHDI.  They can keep their credentials and their membership dues.  Seeing "CMT" behind someone's name doesn't make me respect them anymore that them not being a CMT.  Quite the contrary, I start thinking their $300 sold out another American MT.  Good Job!  You're a CMT, yay! 


I only have single coverage with them. but as I recall from the literature it was about
$500 a month or so, maybe a little less. Give them a call or e-mail and I am sure they will tell you.
A Modern Parable --- see msg.

Some of you have probably already read this before, but for those that haven't, this was too close to reality for all of us, so I just had to share: 


A Modern Parable:

A Japanese company ( Toyota ) and an American company (Ford Motors) decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River . Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their
peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.

Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 7 people steering and 2 people rowing.

Feeling a deeper study was in order; American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion.

They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.

Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 2 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 2 people rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the 'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rowers. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses. The pension program was trimmed to "equal the competition" and some of the resultant savings were channeled into morale boosting programs and teamwork posters.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid-off one rower, halted development of a new canoe, sold all the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses.

The next year, try as he might, the lone designated rower was unable to even finish the race (having no paddles,) so he was laid off for unacceptable performance, all canoe equipment was sold and the next year's racing team was out-sourced to India ..

Sadly, the End.

Here's something else to think about: Ford has spent the last thirty years moving all its factories out of the US , claiming they can't make money paying American wages.

TOYOTA has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants inside the US . The last quarter's results:

TOYOTA makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked up 9 billion in losses.

Ford folks are still scratching their heads and collecting bonuses…….

IF THIS WEREN'T SO TRUE IT MIGHT BE FUNNY.


Don't worry. Modern houses don't have big holes in the floors and walls. NM
nm
You are right..Every modern convenience, even medical care, is traced back
x
A very humble "thank you" :)
a little kindness goes so very far
Btw, it's easy for me to be humble cause I am
x
k, that is your opinion, i stated mine. poor quality in my opinion shows bad work ethics if they do
;
he was a classic
couldn't stomach him
"Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home" nm
nm
Many great entrepreneurs had humble beginnings (sm)
You have met many challenges head-on and been very successful. Right now you face a challenge - the challenge is almost like a game with your own mind. It is an obstacle that will be difficult to overcome, but once you do, you will benefit from it forever. Many great entrepreneurs began as a janitor, waiter/waitress, many humble positions. You already realize your intellect and the capacity you have to soar above your peers. Your challenge is to learn to first work with people, side-by-side, to be able to know that you have greater abilities, but humble yourself to do less, while in your time off from work, working on your businesses, until you no longer need the "job". It is truly a mental game you are playing with yourself unknowingly and you are allowing your own intellectual mind to defeat "you" with too much pride and self-imposed rules. You have to re-think all of this and challenge yourself to be able to be humble, knowing that you have great capabilities. On the other hand, many people who are very intelligent have found that they can be much more happy in simple tasks that are "beneath" their mental abilities, but find great value in seeing physical results. Physical labor gives immediate gratification. Your body is worthy too, not just your mind. Use both. Do not lock yourself into a mental prison. Step out into the sun and set yourself free
Not if you use it in the classic expander (sm)
emulation mode -- still incredible increases in line counts without bothering with all that marker key nonsense.

I'm happy with 300-450 lines per hour.
Classic migraines
If you have migraines with an aura that involves visual scotomas or "flashing lights" as part of it, That can be worse that then actual headache...(plus the nausea, vomiting, numbness in the arms or face, loss of speech, etc)it's a warning of the headache to come. I have suffered from these debilitating migraines since the age of 5 (maybe longer) and am now in my 40s...I've tried everything...I have the migraine abnormality on my EEG as well.

A neurologist told me when I was 16 I had a disease and would just have to learn to leave with it (nice guy eh? and ya maybe lose 10 pounds!)....anyway a year ago I had a terrible bout and again saw a neurologist (took me 25 years). This guy was young and energetic and said I did not have to suffer like that and I had more of a "pseudo-seizure" episode going on. He put me on Topamax and OH MY GOD! It's a miracle...instead of 2-3 migraines a week, it's one every 2-3 months - no joking....ask your doc. I've settled on 75 mg twice a day. The only major side effect is I can't drink pop as it's screwed up my taste buds. But hey, that's nothing to give up. Do some research on line. I wish you success. I go back for my one year checkup in November and this is the fewest migraines I've had in my life! I may even try to go down to 50 mg twice a day as maintenance dosage. Hope this helps!
Classic! Never tire of this.
http://www.guzer.com/videos/williamhung.php


i use the kinesis classic
and you can re-map/program the keys if you want to. since the backspace and space bar are used so much, is it usually better for the stronger thumb to do it than the little finger. again, with the classic, you can reprogram. When i called kinesis with some questions they were very helpful. i'm not a leftie, so can't answer to that. mine fits on my under-desk tray, but not to put away underneath. warning -- it does take some serious effort to get used to. but it has helped same my arm nerves in a huge way. i've been at this 32 yr myself. i'd never go back to another kind. I didn't get near as much help from the microsoft ergo board.
Kinesis Classic has no # pad, but
not sure if it is quiet enough. i'd have to look it up but i think you can turn on and off the clicky-clicks.
my kinesis classic
has it in the center-bunch, where you use your left thumb for it (unless you want to reprogram it somewhere else).
Kinesis Classic Keyboard

It took me several days I believe to get use to the Kinesis. I just started out slow and when I became frustrated trying to use it I went back to the regular keyboard but soon found I was having more trouble typing on a regular keyboard so stuck with the Kinesis only and I would say it may have taken me two weeks to get back to speed but it has been well worth it to me.


I had OT come out to my house and they suggested I put something under the edge of my keyboard, the edge closest to me, so it would be basically neutral. I found a long wrist rest under that edge puts the keyboard at a perfect height for a neutral position. It is just one of those cheap foam ones like you find at Walmart but it works great.


It is the softest touch keyboard I have ever used which really ended finger fatigue for me. It also helped with my fingers aching and some of my hand pain. I had to change to an Evoluent mouse (as I posted below) and my right hand  hand/arm pain stopped.


Now, if only I could just find a way to stop my chronic back pain. :D


Let us know what you decide on and how it works for you, ok?


Not a classic "over achiever" either, just not sure what else could be the cause...

Over achiever? Possible too, but I don't think that really fits him either. While he is a very bright kid, he is just like any other seven-year-old boy I know...and while his father and I do encourage him to try his best, we certainly do not try to make him feel that his best is not good enough. This is something we are very careful about, as we do see many children today who are pushed and pushed by their parents to be "better" than everyone else and this does nothing but make a child miserable and/or an over acheiver for the rest of their life...


I do not see the classic "over acheiver" personality with him. He is very conversational and I have no reason to even question whether he is acting out in this way. I know that nerves can play a big part with little kids and upset tummies, but I can't link these unexplained, very infrequent episodes of vomiting to any emotion or uncertainty as my son seems to be 100% his usual happy self.


Thank you though for that post too. Anxiety and Over acheiving are both great thoughts on this matter and I have really considered both, however they just don't seem to be the reason. 


Any thoughts on allergies? or anyother thoughts I should consider?


Thanks! :)


It sounds like a classic case of...

we get to reap what we have sewn.  And to think we called the 80's the "me generation!"


You are the classic example of the lost productivity due to BOS. nm
x
Desperado/L Ronstadt. Not my true fav, but a classic,
x
The Kinesis Classic Keyboard is the softest touch I have used. (nm)
:)
I love the Kinesis Classic-softest touch! (nm)

I work for a hospital that has Cerner Classic Radnet and a service that sm
uses Cerner Millenium Radnet. The two are completely different. The Classic version does EXACTLY what you described with ShortHand but they found a solution at the hospital. I will look at it on Wednesday when I go to work. I'm embarassed to say that I have used it for so long that I don't pay attention anymore and can't remember the name of the program.


Why not? I have a right to an opinion and it is what it is. (nm)
x
Ah, of course, an OPINION. Uh-huh.
You are, of course, entitled to your opinion. However, the statement "it is what it is" indicates that you don't truly consider it your opinion. You have decided that's the way it is and your mind is closed.

I strongly object to the sweeping across-the-board statements from you and the OP that MTs working for large national companies are either clueless or gutless.

There are many MTs working for large national companies that are paid well, treated well, and have no complaints. That does not make us "gutless." That makes us productive members of society.

What do YOU suggest? What are you doing to show YOUR guts? What is your plan for change? Where do you think all these MTs should go to work? You and the OP are very quick to say what YOU would do instead - but that's a solution YOU find acceptable and/or workable. Personally, I would NEVER work as a telemarketer again unless I was truly desperate.

Working outside the home also isn't a feasible option for me and many others. What is your solution in that situation? Stop working altogether?
My opinion.........sm

I believe many MTs stay with these Nazi-like companies* because their self-confidance has been pummeled into the ground by the abusive, demoralizing treatment they are subjected to every day.  It's like the well known pattern of an abused child who clings to the abusive parent.  What they don't realize, or refuse to see is that more and more MTs are putting their foot down and refusing to stay with companies that offshore, cut our pay, treat us like dogs, and then have the audacity to use us to help them achieve their ultimate goal of eradicating our profession.  Why is VR technology becoming more and more sophisticated with each passing day?  Because we're helping them do it!!  Kind of like digging your own grave. 


I truly believe that if enough of us take matters into our own hands by showing them that "We're mad as hell, and we're not taking this anymore" we can together turn the tables on these money hungry vermin.  Do the math.  We are "still" the backbone of the industry.  We need to take action NOW while we still have the power.


* No ethnically based offense intended.  Just trying to make a point.


opinion
Figure out your pros and cons to keeping your current job and the pros and cons to having a home-based job -- consider your need for medical insurance, gas money, clothing allowance for work outside of the home, eating out for lunch, not having to deal with co-workers on their crabby days, et cetera. Most likely you will not start at $15/hour but with saving money elsewhere while being home-based it might make it worth the loss of a few bucks to be home. I do have two children (7 & 10) whom are very active in extracurricular activities and it is a huge bonus to be able to split my shift when needed with no questions asked. My employer is very flexible. When school is out for the summer, it does slow down my production...but children aren't home forever...so I'll deal with it. There are a lot of jobs available but only half of them are worth the time...be choosy and check them out thoroughly before deciding. Good luck with your decision.
So your opinion is okay,
but no one else can give theirs.  Yeah.  Wrong. 
Want my opinion - here it is anyway
You wany my opinion, either way, here it is. Yes, for all of those that CONSTANTLY, AND I MEAN CONSTANTLY bash Medquist - find another hobby. You have already done and beat the darn horse dead - let it alone. Personally, I cannot wait for the phone call to tell me what changes they have made. Already the bashers are criticizing their plan and yet no one knows what it is. On the other hand, if there was no plan established, the complainers would be at it again - COMPLAINING THAT THERE IS NO PLAN. What is it going to take for you unhappy MTs to just quit already - I mean both quit your job and your complaining?

To all you complainers take my advice and "just zip it already"


I am always right and here is my opinion
Why, Dr. Phil here. Is there a problem. These people are living life to the fullest, something we ALL need to do. If you die tomorrow, can you say your last day on earth was spent having fun - probably not. GO HAVE FUN AND LOVE LIFE AND LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST.

I say HOORAY to these nasty posters for having fun!
My opinion

I apologize to you then MQx4 if all these posts were not yours.  It is very difficult to determine who is who anymore.


 


Although, in those crazy people's defense, I actually did find those posters rather hillarious!  I am just your average MT and no I am not disturbed in any way, just enjoy a raw sense of humor now and then.  Please don't bash me for saying that, it is just my opinion.  A raw sense of humor is not grounds for being in the psyhiatric ward.  A good laugh every now and then does wonders for the body (burns lots and lots of calories you know).  With that being said, we should welcome everyone here and as long as I am personally not being threatened, then I really am up for any conversation and/or jokes or whatever. 


It's nice to know who you are talking with, so MQx4 thanks for being consistent with your name.  Sorry if I addressed some of those posts to you!


Opinion of what

UH OH - Just watched FOX News and they indicate that Rita may become a category 4 or perhaps even a 5 once she hits the warm waters.   From what I heard, it is heading for Texas - how awful considering that there are hundreds of thousands of evacuees already there from Katrina.  Any thoughts or has anyone heard anything different of what could or might happen in the upcoming days? 


Share your thoughts with us.


My opinion
To me, it is like watching a good movie, however we have no video to go with the audio. I am not so much for the swearing, but c'mon it is hillarious to hear people's reactions and comebacks.
my opinion
In my opinion, if you do not need to make a certain amount of money each week and you have another source of income, i.e. spouse, then going the IC route may be for you.

But if you depend on the benefits, certain pay amount, dependability in that pay, etc., then stay at the hospital. All the MTSOs can tell you "oh we have benefits and plenty of work, blah blah blah..." but guess what?? You do not know what is going to happen to that account you start out on. You could end up sharing it with 10 other MTs, then all of a sudden, 10 more MTs jump on that account because the MTSO lost a particular account or has no work on other accounts, etc. That changes your pay. I could go on and on about the ups and downs of working full time for an MTSO, but I would be here all day typing.

But one thing is this - very rarely do you get to "set your own hours" as a full time MT with an MTSO.
My opinion.....

If you want to be proficient in MT'g, you can't unless you know business English inside and out.  Check out your local community college. It will be time and $$$ well spent, and remember, knowlege is power.


Also remember, grammar is very important in this business.  A simple hyphen can completely change the meaning of a sentence.....


Case in point:


 


I saw a man eating shark.


 


I saw a man-eating shark.


 


See what I mean?


My opinion...

What your step-father is doing is horrible, but I don't understand your reaction towards your mother.


You expect your mother to "see" what is going on without directly telling her.  If she has no idea what's going on, how could she possibly understand why you are treating him the way you are?


Do you think it is fair to end your relationship with your mother over something that she has no idea about?  If you are going to end your relationship with her, she at least has the right to know why.  You are not "saving her the embarrassment."  You are taking the easy way out.  I think it is mean to do this to her.


It is not fair how your step-father is treating you.  It is wrong.  But 10% of life is what happens to you and 90% is how you respond to it.  Do the right thing.  Tell your mother and everyone else what is going on.  Keeping silent only protects him. 


Personally, if my daughter ever told me what you just said about someone I was with, he'd get the boot right out the door.  I don't think I would even wait for an explanation from him.  Give your mother an opportunity to do just that.


My opinion is....
Go for it, just say you were wondering if they got your email, as you haven't heard back from them. That gives you the excuse to get one on the phone, then maybe you could get down to the nitty gritty of what positions they have open, what shifts, what are they willing or planning to pay, etc.
Please help! Really REALLY need your opinion SM

I have been asked to transcribe some training material for my brother-in-law.  He puts together training manuals for addiction medicine counselors and has a lot of things that he needs transcribed into Word.  (They are on tapes, VHS, DVD, etc., but he is going to put them all in a wav file format for me to transcribe.)  He wants to pay me the normal going rate.


He wants to know how I would charge (word, line, job, etc.).  I have decided to do 65 character lines including spaces, but need to know how much per line would be appropriate.


I don't know if this makes a difference, but he's in Minnesota.  I am leaning toward 14 cents per line, but wonder if that is too much?


Please let me know what you think.


Chickadee


I did it, here's my opinion.
I was in QA/QA management for many years. I lost touch with what being an MT was about. It happens.

I regret many things I corrected while in QA because, quite frankly, being an MT is a very hard job and QA shouldn't sweat the small stuff. Anyway, I went back into transcription part time and felt as if the weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders. I enjoyed working again.

Now I have the fun of laughing over the tiny **** that QA finds to pick on in order to find errors on a review (hyphens, commas). Heck, I got a major error for not putting a capital letter in the middle of a drug name! Yikes! Did the patient die? No! But it's a major error. lol.....

I hope that someday the person who is QAing me will have the same "a-ha!" moment I did, but in the meantime I'll just smile and be grateful I'm not in her shoes. Or working for the manager who insists on such silly scoring.

I've gone back to transcribing full time with a hospital (yes!), and I'm making more money than I ever have in my life--even more than as a QA manager.

Do it! Go back to your roots, your first love, and enjoy the PEACE that transcribing brings.
My opinion is that you should
Go visit the family and come back. I think this is a great opportunity for you to be able, somewhere down the line, to have a lot of freedom in your life. When you finally get the house and aren't taking care of this person anymore, you will have the freedom to go visit them whenever you want and even stay there for long periods of time and still have the peace of mind that you have a home to live in that is paid for and that is a major expense that you won't have. Lets face it, not a lot of us have a retirement and most of us will work until die just trying to keep up the house payment. That is a real load lifter you've been offered.
My opinion
I know that what's one man's poison is another man's feast, but I wouldn't give you two cents for the Bahamas - the natives are ruder than heck and everything is priced beyond belief.  UGH!  If I'm going to see water and beaches, I want to go where it's worth looking at; i.e., the Pacific Ocean - The Oregon Coast and/or Southern California!  Now THAT's a BEACH, and the food?  Oooh LA la!   
it is my opinion that you are very ill....sm
do you need any one of us to make an appointment with the nearest psych MD?  Maybe we can book you a room in Bellevue Hospital.....