Octovian Lines 65 – 101

I know I’ve been slacking, but here’s the next page of my translation of Octovian:

Filed under: Art/Lit, History, Literature , Middle English, Translation, Octovian, Octavian

Cartoon of The Day

KAL's cartoon @ The Economist.com

H/T Cafe Hayek

Filed under: Economy/Economics

The National Coordinator of Health Information Technology

It seems Obama and the Dems fancy themselves M.D.s, in the Stalinist… I mean “Stimulus” bill (also known as “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009″) they want to track the medical records of every American electronically and then use that information for their own purposes, such as the following:

One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and “guide” your doctor’s decisions (442, 446). These provisions in the stimulus bill are virtually identical to what Daschle prescribed in his 2008 book, “Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis.” According to Daschle, doctors have to give up autonomy and “learn to operate less like solo practitioners.”

…

Hospitals and doctors that are not “meaningful users” of the new system will face penalties.  “Meaningful user” isn’t defined in the bill. That will be left to the HHS secretary, who will be empowered to impose “more stringent measures of meaningful use over time” (511, 518, 540-541)

What penalties will deter your doctor from going beyond the electronically delivered protocols when your condition is atypical or you need an experimental treatment? The vagueness is intentional. In his book, Daschle proposed an appointed body with vast powers to make the “tough” decisions elected politicians won’t make.

The stimulus bill does that, and calls it the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research (190-192). The goal, Daschle’s book explained, is to slow the development and use of new medications and technologies because they are driving up costs. He praises Europeans for being more willing to accept “hopeless diagnoses” and “forgo experimental treatments,” and he chastises Americans for expecting too much from the health-care system.

Bloomberg.com

Now, if I’m not mistaken, written consent is required before medical documents are disclosed. Also, does the “proletariat” really think that rich white men will have to forgo any treatment whatsoever?

Remember, Daschle would have been Secretary of Health and Human Services if he had paid his taxes. It seems, there is nothing about his anti-American, anti-science, and anti-human-life ideology that Obama disagrees with.

Filed under: Freedom, Politics, Science , Daschle, The National Coordinator of Health Information Technology

Milton Friedman on Greed

more about “Milton Friedman on Greed“, posted with vodpod

Filed under: Economy/Economics

Octovian Part 2 (Lines 0030 – 0064)

Here’s part two of the Middle English poem Octovian (part 1 here).

Filed under: Art/Lit, History, Literature, Poetry , Middle English, Octovian, Translation

Quote of the Day

Pelosi: “Every month that we do not have an economic recovery package 500 million Americans lose their jobs.”

more about “Quote of the Day“, posted with vodpod

Filed under: Quote of The Day

Translation of the Middle English poem Octovian Part 1 (lines 1 – 29)

I’ve decided to translate into Modern English the Middle English poem Octovian. The poem is nearly 2000 lines long so, I must admit, it will be quite a task. I’ve read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in its original funky Middle English and I’ve skimmed through some of The Canterbury Tales in Chaucer’s very readable Middle English, and it seems that Octovian will be easier than Gawain but more difficult than Chaucer to translate.

Filed under: Art/Lit, History, Literature, Poetry , Middle English, Octovian, Translation