Sunday, September 27, 2009

Eye Candy Interlude-Jewelry-making Supplies
Detailed Metal Wing Components

Natural Quartz Crystal Point Pendant w/Garnet Cabochon

Blood Red Opaque and Transparent Faceted Crystal Chandelier Components

Opaque Blood Red Segmented Faceted Crystal Dangle Components
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31645884

Pear Shaped Red Crystal Dangle Components

Pewter Thunderbird Pendant Set w/Turquoise

22 (11 Pairs) Gunmetal ball Stud Earring Posts with Loop

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31652246

Supplies To Come!

Watch for These and More in My Supply Shop

Chain

More Bejeweled Components

More Popular Colors!


Look Rich Even if You Aren't!

http://GiftbearerSupply.etsy.com

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Joe Biden Sets The Record Straight Against Scare Tactics Regarding Medicare

This post is going to be short, but I just noticed this great video posted on Twitter tonight and thought I'd pass it on to you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSeZ5h_ndk&feature=player_embedded

Here are the details about proposed improvements in Medicare;

http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/medicare/index.html

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Are Your Followers on Blogspot Not Showing Up?
It took me a little while to find out where to report this problem but I eventually found it. If you are having this problem please contact Gatsby on the Blogger Help Forum. He has a special form to fill out for those whose follower areas are blank so that he can investigate and hopefully fix the problem.
Please go here to report this;
and fill out this form;

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Eye Candy Interlude- Copper Keeps You Toasty Warm

Copper Poppy-(bracelet)

Copper's deep timbre, a royal cloak, is autumn leaves turning to shades of burnt umber,

Eve Urbana-(Necklace)

a cozy fireplace, bricks generating heat as its ashes glimmer in the dimness of late evening, in crisp anticipation while a thick blanket of snow falls silently just outside.

Hint At Something Deeper (necklace)

It's like steaming apple cider swallowed down with Gingerbread cookies

Medicine Man-(necklace)
and with somber elegance wraps you in its arms like a doting spouse in an everlasting hug.

Warmly Glowing-(earrings)

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12208294

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Doctors Speak About A Better Healthcare System
I have presented in previous articles perspectives from patients on healthcare and this time I thought I'd give you some examples of doctors' thoughts on this topic.
Dr. Fred Moolton was a cancer researcher and he has made a video about why we need a better option than what we currently have in this country and he speaks also from the perspective of a veteran as well as a physician.
Dr Fred Moolten Discusses Healthcare Reform
Some dentists in Nebraska decided to form a project called Mission of Mercy which provides free dental care to those who otherwise cannot afford it. This is an excellent example of an initiative not driven by profit but instead by healthcare providers who want to help people and are willing to take a financial loss to back up their beliefs with real action! I would love to see more projects like this offered. If doctors in all specialties were to volunteer like this at least a day or two each month I think we'd see the whole attitude change in this country.
Straight from the Doctors Mouth: Healthcare Reform in Nebraska
These doctors speak about examples they've seen in their practices in which patients have come to them sicker because they cannot pay for healthcare they need.
Doctors Speak Out for Health Care Reform
This doctor is really funny, but his message is dead serious!
Health Care Reform Explained
What happens when the doctor becomes the patient?
Why I care about Health Care Reform so damn much
This man wrote a song about the sad state of affairs our health system is in;

Friday, September 18, 2009

Eye Candy Interlude- Elaborate Artisan Jewelry
Silver, Copper, and genuine gemstone beads, set cabochons, seedbeads, and artisan lampwork used in exciting designs;
Warmly Glowing-necklace
18" long; copper, Carnelian, Kyanite slices, and artisan lampwork.
Fine Silver Blackberry Leaf Necklace with Citrine Cabochon
18" long. Yes, it's made from the impression of a real leaf!
Cape Cod Jellyfish Earrings
2 1/2" long. Beadweaving, lampwork, sterling silver.
Tapered Bubbles Sterling Silver Ring With Very Clean Peridot Cab
Size 5 3/4; casted original design.
Southwestern Cross Necklace and Earring Set
The chain measures 26 1/2" The pendant measures 1 58" The earrings measure 2 3/8" long.
Raspberry Explosion Independance Day Necklace
Measures 18" Long,(21" including extender)Centerpiece measures 3" long
This piece took approximately 112 hours to complete.
Fall Berries Turning Wine Earrings
These earrings measure 3 1/8" long X 1 3/8" wide.
Early Budding Vine Bracelet 3-Northern Lights
This freeform bangle has a circumference of 7" and it measures 2 5/16" in diameter.
Read about this amazing process here;
Carmella Collection-Tears of Joy (earrings)
These measure 2 1/8" long. Great for weddings; only 1 pair left; one pair sold earlier this week.
Strength of The Serpent Bracelet-Gardenia Leaf
Gardenia leaf connected by fine silver jump rings which measures 2 3/8" long from jump ring to tip.
9 1/2" bracelet
One of these bracelets just sold tonight; 2 left in the limited edition line!
Each is one-of-a-kind.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Eye Candy Interlude - Exciting Bracelets by Giftbearer

Moss Chilled By Autumn - 7 1/2"-8 1/2" with extender.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=15993456
This bracelet includes artisan-made ceramic beads made by a co-op of African women, lampwork beads, bone rondelles, irregular Vintage bone-colored glass disks and a daring combination of brass, copper, and vermeil.

Silver, beads, copper, lampwork, vermeil, you name it I've got it! You don't have to pass up what you really want if you start your holiday shopping early this year. Just set aside some funds from each paycheck and buy a piece here and there between now and December and before you know it everybody on your list will be taken care of. You'd be surprised how well this works rather than rushing at the last minutes to buy everything in that one pay period. Then in December you can sit back and relax because it's all done!

How many of you have had to settle for gifts last year that were cheap and fast but weren't quite right for the people close to you because time got short and you were afraid that you couldn't get shipping before the holidays?

You didn't realize where your money went and where your time went and suddenly there was not enough of either. You were stressed and frantic, trying to finish up your last minute shopping and somehow what should have been an enjoyable experience became instead a dreaded nightmare you just wanted to be done with. Soon you were looking for any gift with your last few dollars and didn't care what it was.

I want your experience to be better this year, so I'll be posting some possible suggestions on this blog, and maybe this can be a win/win for us both. Hopefully I'll gain some repeat customers, and you will thoroughly enjoy your holiday shopping experience, and your friends and family will be thrilled with just how perfect and thoughtful your gifts are.

Opulent Mystery - 6 2/8-7 6/8 with extender.
If you like big and bold bracelets this one will strike your fancy! It includes some very luminous lampwork beads, sterling chain, feathers and spacers, and the centerpiece is an impressive tumbled freeform nugget of Turquoise.


Caravan by Moonlight - 8"

Constructed using bead crochet, this bracelet uses an unusual AAA Lapis square with a hole in the middle as a focal and a toggle clasp. I always have fun making innovative features in my jewelry and this is another example of something functional but fun; one of those things that makes you go, "Hmmmm..."

Saturday, September 12, 2009

911 Continued-People Denied Medical Care-Uninsured and Under-insured
With Obama's Public Option still up in the air and some legislators in Congress as of yet undecided, now is the time to make your voices heard.

My last blog post got very few comments. I'm not really sure why. Healthcare is a topic that most feel strongly about one way or the other. Whether you agree or disagree with creating a Universal healthcare plan I hope you will consider the information posted here, keep an open mind, and leave a comment so that I know that people are reading and thinking deeply about this topic. Although the subject matter is heavy, we cannot afford to turn a blind eye or a deaf ear. My intention is not to be morbid or to depress readers, but to inform, empower, and motivate everyone to become active in their political process. This truly is a life and death matter and although it is not easy to look at or to tackle logistically, there is hope for the future. Sometimes things get worse just before they get better, and together each of us can contribute an important piece that will make a difference for the better if we keep our eyes on the prize. It is worth the effort and the struggle to emerge victorious on the other side of heartbreak even when it would be easier to do nothing and leave the hard work to the law-makers. Never under-estimate the power you have when you join hands with others around you.

This woman was about to give up fighting her insurance company for life-saving treatment but at the last minute tried approaching something a little differently and it worked! Her method may help somebody out there who keeps hitting a brick wall. You never know exactly what might make an impression on someone on the other end of the phone. Keep in mind that even with regulations underwritten by insurance companies there is always a certain amount of discretionary power that decision-makers have at their disposal when reviewing your claim;

Anne (brain tumor)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUrf2aL1aDs

I hope I have made the information I share interesting and relevant and that it helps make the world at least a little better, and to those currently suffering with health-related issues that you feel some comfort in knowing that you're not alone. Although not being alone is both a blessing and a curse in this instance, take comfort in knowing that people are beginning to mount a revolution of sorts.

No matter how small or how poor or how young or how ill you are your story is important and transformative. It is never insignificant, never weak, never self-indulgent. It speaks a truth that holds alot of personal power. They say that the personal is political and the political, personal. Some fear and avoid talk of politics, but all politics really is is the process of living with others around us and it just boils down to planning how we operate and interact in the world, the roles that each plays, and how we participate in life. To avoid that is to avoid being fully present and engaged in the process of living. Staying with difficult topics may be overwhelming at times, but if we hang in there for the duration we come out on the other side richer for having stayed in until the final bell.

This video is about a Special Education Aide in Wisconsin who is uninsured. You might be surprised that not all school systems provide health insurance to all their teachers/employees and when I first viewed this one I was shocked that a relatively progressive state like Wisconsin would allow someone working full time to fall through the cracks, but this woman continued to put one foot in front of the other despite incredible barriers affecting herself and her family. Pre-existing conditions locked her out of rights that everyone should have;

Without Insurance (A Special Education Aide struggles to pay for healthcare for her family)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdGCT9dBK10

Do you think doctors don't have this problem? The answer to that question might surprise you.

The Need for a Public Option for All, Dr Manisha Sharma's Story 20090821
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZIytK-qDe8

Part of the problem is that in large systems rules and regulations begin to take precedence over people. In healthcare that can be fatal. The rats who place such policy over individuals have become so brainwashed by their profession that ludicrous and arbitrary limits become reasonable in their twisted way of thinking. Such practices as only offering certain treatments to those who have three or less tumors, for instance are common in the insurance industry. Even the individual patient's doctor may fail to move those reviewing a given claim although that physician knows this is the best treatment for the patient given her set of variables.

BlueShield Bureaucrats Override Doctor's Treatment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGdOBs-9a1w

Will you or somebody that you love be denied treatment for the Swine Flu (H1N1 virus)? This article about triage outlines those individuals who will likely not receive treatment. The national guidelines actually violate some federal laws and the hypocratic oath;


Triage! Will You Be Denied Treatment for Swine Flu?

http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/triage-will-you-be-denied-treatment-for-swine-flu-907246.html

Continue to write the President with your suggestions for improving our healthcare system. Get involved in the political process. Your vote does count even though the problem seems insurmountable at times.

Please feel free to post here and tell me how you are addressing these problems. If you have a personal story you'd like to share please contact me either on Etsy or in the comment section here on this blog and give me an e-mail address where I can reach you so that you can send me the whole story and I will feature you in an upcoming blog post! Maybe others can learn from your experience. If you have had any victories in this area please elaborate on what you did that removed some healthcare barriers in your instance. If you have created videos on this topic please send me the link to them and I may use those in future articles too.

I plan on covering this topic for awhile.