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My family went to a flea market that is mostly run and

Posted By: Funny thing about offshoring on 2005-10-25
In Reply to:

attended by Hispanics.  There were several vendors selling leather goods, such as wallets, belts, shoes, etc.  DH needed a new wallet so he picked one he liked and opened it up only to find a tag that said "MADE IN INDIA."   (He didn't buy it.)  We didn't look at any of the other leather goods, but found it very ironic that the Hispanics are now importing their "handmade" goods from India.  


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the market will pay what the market will bear...sm

just the fact that jobs are posted for this pay means people are taking it. You have to remember - we are in a global marketplace now. We are competing against people from India, Thailand, Cambodia for these jobs. If the Mexicans could figure it out, we would be competing against them too. It's like washing dishes. Washing dishes isn't easy. Why does washing dishes only pay $5.50 an hour? Because they can find people to wash dishes for $5.50 an hour. Not only that, but MT work was getting cost prohibitive for a lot of people. That's why some other really, really smart people said, "let's find a way to make computers do this! Then we can sell the programs so docs can buy programs instead of paying MT's." Then some other really really smart people said, "let's not even have docs dictate. Let's have them point and click!" And so MT's are also competing against VR and EMR.


You may say ..."If a company offers me 7 to 9 cpl, I let them know that it is an insult to expect an experienced, highly skilled Transcriptionist to be offered such low pay and I refuse to work for them." But if your current job goes bye-bye, and you're scrambling out in the market and that's all that's out there....well, you get the picture. If you want the job, you take the job for that pay. Otherwise, yes, it's get a job at WallyWorld. Your choice.


 


Flea-be-gone
Get Frontling, Advantage or Revolution ASAP.  One of those will be able to be used on pups.  The chemical gets in the flakes of skin that fall off, which is what larva eat, thereby killing larva before they go into cocoon stage.
Same in our area at flea markets!
was all excited to go to one of the flea markets in Wales and England to see what interesting "stuff" I'd find there... well, guess what... same stuff I see here...and tons of Pakistans and Indians selling goods.  Just thought it funny that flea markets are the same everywhere you go!
Herbal flea preventative - sm
Probably too late in season, depends where you live, but if you have any fleabane growing around the house (pretty yellow and white flower) may help. If available, make a tea by brewing up the flowers, and rinse puppy with that. Brewer's yeast in the water dish will help, and garlic. Gets into the systems and fleas won't bite with that in the animal. Hope this helps.
I think that is supposed to be flea, not free :) nm
z
home brewed flea remedy

I went nuts googeling for answers and here is what worked for me (still amazed it did).


Vacumn thoroughly then spread boric acid (Borax detergent) over the carpets and any areas your boys frequent.& spread salt (..mine loved under my desk so needless to say, my ankles were a mess)  Leave the Borax down for 1/2 hour..this is supposed to kill the fleas and dehydrate the eggs.  Then bath them using Dawn dishliquid and you see the fleas fall off!  I also used a flea trap one site recommended.  Put a low glass container filled halfway full with water & a few drops of detergent in it.  Then put a gooseneck lamp directly over it.  Supposed to attract the fleas and boy does it!  They say fleas are blind and only jump onto a moving, warm object, so not sure how the trap works but it does.  My little guy had his tail half chewed to shreds and I did not want to have to bomb the place because of the hassle with him and the cat and my allergies.


It's been three weeks now and all seems to be clear...I think I got most of this info off paws.com or something like that.  HTH


Like a flea circus here, check is so small.
x
Need a good recipe for home brew flea dip
I have a shih-tsu and 120 pound lab/blue tick hound. Needless to say, Savannah would cost me an arm and a leg with conventional dips. If anyone knows of a good home brew I would surely appreciate it.
Yes, I agree. The risk is too high. Will purchase the cat flea repellant.
dd
Carpet cleaner? Flea spray? Chemicals used inside his car? Restaurant food? New vitamins? Cold
s
Now you know the local job market and my
home situation better than I do.  For your information, I make more working parttime at home doing MT than I would working fulltime for any of the local advertising agencies.  Plus, I don't have to travel or put my kids in daycare.   Thank you so much for your concern about my employment situation, though.  And please, get off your
In the market for a new computer -

I will not buy MS Vista - I hear it's a nightmare. TIA


 


When you market your services with a
business name and a business license, it shows the doctors or hospitals that you are representing yourself as a professional business and are not just a homemaker or housewife trying to make a few extra bucks. They will treat you with more respect and take you more seriously, and in turn will be willing to pay you a fair rate as a respectable businesswoman. Think about any business in your community or town. They all first procure a business name and a business license before they open their doors. You may be working from home, but you can will present yourself in this fashion. I would also suggest obtaining a P.O. Box to use as your business address instead of using your home address. Believe me, this works. I have been running a successful small MT business from home for over 20 years now, and I support my entire family on my earnings.
job market update
If your skills are excellent and your experience and references speak well of you, then I believe the job market is pretty good.

But!!!!

You have to look carefully at the prospective jobs.

Please, I beg of you, for the good of ALL OF US, please please please do not take a job for less than 8.5 cpl! Please!
It's a very tough market right now...sm.
I have 8 years experience and have been testing left and right for the last 3 months. I have passed several tests only to hear about the company being put on a hiring freeze and I am added to their waiting list. I have also tested and done very well and not heard anything back. I finally made the decision that I am going to go to nursing school but right now is not a good time either (my husband has been out of work since April of 2008). He finished his degree and STILL cannot find a job.

Keep faith..it will come through. Maybe instead of having to drive into town, you could send your resume to all the local doctors, dentists, veterinarians, eye doctors, anyone who maybe has been thinking they are too busy to do their own notes. I have heard that this has worked for many people. It is always worth the effort. If you are a good general Transcriptionist too, don't just stop at medical. Send you resume to insurance businesses, lawyers, whatever might be there.

Good Luck and God Bless.
Money Market accounts
MM accounts do have checks, but you are limited to the number of checks that you can write per month - no more than 3 checks to a third party. Rates are usually tiered based on your balance - the more you have deposited, the more interest you will earn.

Start here:
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/rate/mmmf_home.asp

Are you worried about possible MT job market glut then? I am...
nm
yeah, in today's job market, the
middle class is supposed to be happy we even have a job.  Forget any idea of getting any appreciation for hardwork, reliability, knowledge, or any of that good stuff, just be "happy" to be working... in my next life, maybe!
So what? 8 cpl is what the market will bear. If you don't want 8, don't take a job that pays
x
Instead, if I had $345, I'd put it in a money-market acct. - sm
and watch it grow, rather than putting it towards a bunch of fake 'certification' letters after my name, and seeing that money fly away and earn me nothing.
Sixe of MTSO Market
Does anyone know the size of the MTSO market (how many service providers, how many software co's etc. or a good source for this info?
Going back on the market -- any advice?

Hi y'all,


Three weeks ago I began a new job doing acute care at a local hospital (part of CHS). On Friday they told us that our work would be outsourced beginning in April.... Previously I worked at another local hospital for 9 years transcribing Rad and ER notes, echos, etc. I left there because I need expensive orthognathic surgery and their insurance plan has a blanket exclusion against it. Plus I wanted to brush up on my "big four" skills.


Now I am looking for work. Boy have things changed!  I really prefer to work for a hospital or start up my own company again but would work for a service as a last resort. After reading the informative posts here, I have begun compiling a list of "good" and "bad" services so I can avoid certain ones.


Does anyone here have any advice for me? Not general advice about job hunting, but more specific advice about the services -- what to watch out for, etc. I have never done editing/VRT, but apparently that pays less anyway so I don't think I will be doing that.


Thanks.


Really? Hmmmm...you wouldn't know the stock market if it bit you.
Run a stock analysis on MQ under any search engine.  Yahoo stock analysts are the ones I use personally.  There are advisories and analyses of MQ and Philips in the data base EVERY DAY.  There have been "hold" advisories, "sell" advisories, and "buy" advisories any given day.  Sorry to disappoint your disillusioned mind. Obviously NASDAQ and regular trade is better, but they are STILL in the ball game, sorry to disappoint you. And you SHOULD be happy at that if you care about the 1000s of MQ employees who have stocks, etc.  But, gee, sounds like you're just a disgruntled werker!
Does anyone know any basics on money market accounts?
nm
If you're an overseas vendor here's how to market....sm

Go by medical offices and talk to them in your native tongue.  They just LOVE hearing it.   When visiting in places like Florida be sure to ask about the last snow storm they had last winter - that's very impressive!   In the northern states talk about the warm sunny 70 degrees in February in their state and ask if they're ready for that this year.  


Be sure to take brochures showing the fabulous quality of work you do.   Be sure you include impressive sentences such as:  "Dr. Jones said he would eat ketchup with the patient to review his lab work."   After all they don't find it cute to type it like it was dictated.... "Dr. Jones said he would catch up with the patient to review his lab work." 


Lastly don't forget to give them laminated card including all 25 digits they will have to use to call your native country.  Be sure they're aware that all of your employees in your native country have new names.... Ben, Mary, Thomas and Amy are of course popular choices.   Potential clients like getting a warm fuzzy feeling by talking to "Mary" who has a very heavy accent to the point that they can't understand her talking.  But hey - she has an American name (woo-hoo!) so all is forgiven!


Be sure to investigate the housing market in your area
In my area as well as most of the U.S., the housing prices are SKY HIGH! Some say there is sure to be an 'adjustment' (downward) of housing prices in the near future. If the prices have skyrocketed in your area also, you might want to take a wait and see attitude for a year or two and see what happens? Just a thought.

I don't know your circumstances, and there may be reasons you need to buy a house right now, but a waiting period would also give you a chance to straighten up or clean up whatever is wrong with the credit.

I feel sad for my two sons, (one of whom is a store manager, but single income), as I don't see any possibility of either of them being able to buy a house at the outrageous prices nowdays.

My husband and I got lucky (MANY years ago) and bought our first house from an elderly fellow who carried the contract himself and gave us a STEAL of a price! He assumed we would default like all the other renters had and he would repossess the house. Ha Ha, not so with us!

Hey, maybe you could try advertising for a house with owner financing. Might be easier to qualify. Good luck!
This is not a new market. Is being done with all offshore companies I have ever worked for. nm
:+
you should be setting your rates according to what the market will bear...
not what you feel like getting. If you like the account, you're familiar with it and able to make good money off of it, you might want to stay at the rate you are at. As a service owner, I used to plan to hire at 7 but bring everyone eventually up to 10 cpl by 0.5 increases every six months. I also used to be able to raise the rates from the hospital, clinic or physician office every 2 years. Nowadays if I bid on a new account, I am regularly outbid at 11 cpl, with 24 TAT. I have discussed it with my IC MT's. If they want a raise, I can try to negotiate a raise from the hospital...but it jeopardizes our account. Every time you raise your rates, it's a signal for them to start shopping around. So I would say, based on what the market will bear, don't expect to be getting raises. Ever.
Never heard of RMT. In my experience, CMT is worthless in the job market.
x
It's called competition in a buyer's market (sm)
 or vendor's (hospital's) market, not low-balling. 
Here are two free market listings. You can google search for
freelance writing or editing market/job listings, too.

Writers Write market database
http://www.writerswrite.com/paying/

Writers Weekly market listing
http://www.writersweekly.com/markets_and_jobs/003118_11302005.html
Yeah, but are these other companies trying to put stores in every market in the country?
I think that is what makes Wal-Mart so "evil" and scares me so badly.  Soon we won't have ANYONE left to buy our goods from because they force all the other competitors out of business (particularly the small business owners) and then we are FORCED to buy everything from overseas countries/Wal-Mart. 
Various analysts are predicting the housing market will collapse soon. sm
Cannot be sustained at the level it is presently at.
No I don't think so. Everytime I see postings about the MT market failing it gets pegged as "n
that's what I think OP is referring to, postings about the dismal future of MT.
You are in a global market now Darlene. If she doesn't do it, someone overseas will.
x
You're asking for part of their market! It'll be a competition
You go ahead though. Keep us all informed.


In the market for a new ergonomic keyboard. I would love some suggestions!!! What are you using??
Right now I'm looking at the Comfort Keyboard ($289) and Ergoflex ($179) that are on e-bay. If you haven't seen them, they basically look like a regular keyboard, just in two halves. I've also been looking at the Microsoft Curve Comfort and the Logitech Wave. I HATE the big, bulky ergonomic split keyboards like the Microsoft Elite. I cannot use them at all. I also tried the Kinesis Classic and after a month, couldn't get used to it either.

Right now I'm using the A-tech AntiRSI keyboard. It's okay, nothing great.

I would appreciate ANY suggestions. Price really is a factor even though the ones I listed are outrageous. I'd rather not spend a ton, but will if I have to.

THANKS!!
family is family wheter 3 or 8 sm
i live in MA and $1200-$1400 a month is what good health insurance costs, ie $20-$40 copays.  it was just passed into law that if you live in MA you have to have medical insurance so without being self-employed, you can go right to BCBS etc and get a plan directly from the major health insurace companies, but for a family plan and a decent income bracket, forget it.  the prices are outragous.  right now my husband pays $120 a week for family plan and this is after his employer pays 30% of the total cost.  we have $20 copays, but we have a $2000 individual deductable per year with a $4000 family deductible cap.  so when my daughther needed her tonsils out, $2000 and when my son broke his arm, $2000.  someone on this board has to be able to tell you what they pay for insurance through their company as an employee.  good luck.
Does anyone have any good ideas for back and hip pain from sitting all day? Anything on the market?
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!
your family
What kind of shelters were you in that they did not help you? If your husband is mentally ill, cannot hold down a job and provide for his family, go to Social Security office and start filling out for SSI or Disability. It is a long drawn out process, but worth it, if you want to keep your family intact and safe.
Well, every family is different, but for us (sm)
When we initially signed with them three years ago, we were a family of four with a husband with hypertension and hypercholesterolemia.  The first year our rate was $340/mo with a $750 deductible.  Every year since then we are given the option of either jacking our payment or increasing our deductible.  We are now a family of five, and we are paying $750 a month with a $1750 deductible (per person).  We have no maternity coverage, baby #3 was paid for out of pocket.  Prescriptions are $10/30 after a $500 deductible (because of my husband's medications, otherwise I don't think they usually require a deductible for prescriptions).  Each of us is allowed four office visits per year at $25/each.  Well baby care is sporadic, depending on the mood of the adjuster that day, I think.  We have gotten stuck paying for a $700 ER bill (applied to our deductible, apparently) and several well baby visits (at about $200 a pop).   Overall, I was thrilled when we were paying $340 a month, but now I'm ready to start looking elsewhere.  I would go for it, you're going to get jacked every year wherever you are.  I think what put us over the edge was baby #3 (unplanned), but I wouldn't trade her for anything of course!
Family

I have often said that if I met some of my family on the street and were not related often wonder if I would "like them" let alone "love them"  but because they are family we are obligated to instantly "love them."  Sorry to me blood is not thicker than water and my friends and part of my family are very dear to me and I would do anything for them as it has been a two way street with friendship and love.  Lover your parents though and do anything you can for them. 


Patti


not me, my family gets along
doesn't fight Hmmmmm- I'm not invited anywhere this year- Do you suppose its me??? HA
The other family
Kym and I remain friends. She hates to watch the reruns as much as I do. We both agree that they did a lot of manipulation as far as the show goes and the editing process. She and Hallmark divorced following the show and I have not had any contact with him at all.
Family of 5

1.  Me, although, my husband always pulls out the towels and washclothes and folds them and my 5-year-old loves to fold washclothes and can fold them better than me.


2.  Me.


3.  My husband does them most of the time because I always have to sit down after supper and work some more.


4.  My husband does most of the mowing.


Since you know the family,
perhaps you can tell us what happened to him?
About my family
grown and out of the home but I worked at home when they were younger and made it very clear no work, no money, simple as that. I did not get into this job to work from home, in fact worked years away from home doing same because it was not a "home job." If you want to work from home, don't complain about what you are unable to do in your "profession" when you don't come across as being professional doing all the household duties. I started in this because I knew I loved the medical field, fast typist and knew possibility of making more money, nothing to do with just a job to stay home so I could watch after kids, cook or clean. Married but hubby is gourmet chef so he cooks and I have housekeeper. I work because I happen to love the type work I do.
Your family
Well, I would tell you to get a new family, but that's too flip because I know you are hurting.

Why do you care so much about such a thoughtless remark by your father? Obviously, he has no real understanding of your situation. You are working several jobs, wife, mother, caregiver, etc., plus your MT work.

Just try to let go of he hurt and anger from your parents' lack of understanding (or deliberate undermining of you, whichever it is), and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Give yourself a huge pat on the back because you more than deserve it!! Stay positive about yourself and your situation and things will work out to your advantage. Let go of the need for approval from your parents, because you probably won't get it and you don't need it anyway, really.

You should like a great person to me!


what does your family think?
are you going to want to work at home while attending school, and if so would you want to keep the account you have now, and how do your kids feel about it?
Not in Canda but family is. sm

Happy Canada Day to you!


My Grandmother moved to Maine from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to go college here, where she met and married my grandfather.  I have a huge family there that we visit every few years.  Beautiful place, beautiful people. 


friends and family to appreciate me at my job?
I doubt you're getting raises and I doubt you use your money for "others" and you as well are a poor judge of character.  This initial post was about supervisors interacting more with their MTs so we can put a face with the name and feel like we have someone in our corner, being that we are so remote from coworkers.  Obviously, we disagree, lets agree to do that much.  You just sit and type away and collect your paycheck.