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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
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Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
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The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
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Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
August 7, 2009
17 Menachem-Av 5769
Death in the Casino
By
Suzanne Fields
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
When my mother was in her late 80s, I took her to a lawyer's
office one sunny day to sign her "living will." We read over the questions
and her answers, and she signed on the dotted line. She was pleased with the
decisions that she had made weeks before.
We went shopping afterward, and she bought an antique watch that
caught my eye in a shop window. This was an appropriate gift, she joked,
because she had named me to be in charge of her "lifetime." If the time
should come that a doctor asks whether to prolong her life when all hope is
gone, I need to produce her living will.
Such discussions and "signings" with older parents had become
commonplace among my friends of a certain age. We were confronting
generational tasks that our grandparents never dreamed of. These were not
morbid tasks, merely the latest reality bequeathed by technology that can
keep a body physically alive, while those parts we think of as constituting
our humanity have flown away. Yet nothing puts terror in the hearts of old
folks as much as a discussion of end-of-life issues.
Can it be possible that faceless bureaucrats get the power to
decide how an aging person will be "counseled," regarding when and how to
give up the breath of life? This was the question asked of the president by
a woman named Mary at a town hall meeting for the American Association of
Retired Persons.
"I have been told there is a clause in there that everyone of
Medicare age will be visited and told to decide how they wish to die," Mary
said. "This bothers me greatly and I'd like for you to promise me that this
is not in this bill."
The president looked greatly bothered by the question, too. He
told her that the question was about getting information, not determining
when and how someone's life would end. His grandmother, who died only months
ago, the first lady and the president, himself, had signed living wills.
This, he said, gave his grandmother "some control ahead of time." Nobody
would be required to take such counseling, but one such medical consultation
within a five-year period would be paid by government insurance.
That sounds harmless enough. The consultation would be
voluntary, not mandatory; you could specify a family member to take charge
if you can't. The legislation would simply guarantee your ability to learn
about such choices and Medicare would pay for it. So, why are so many people
still upset by the end-of-life clause in the House health care legislation?
The health care debate this time is focused on numbers, but a
subtle psychological fear is pervasive: If the government in its "goodness"
decides it can pay for end-of-life counseling, it can later on determine the
content of the counseling. If the government in its "goodness" is concerned
with the enormous cost of health care, looking everywhere for places to cut
those costs, the elderly become an attractive budget item. Nevertheless, the
insurance companies, imperfect and fallible though they are, depend on us to
pay the freight. That leaves us in control of our choices, limited though
they may be.
Trying to allay Mary's fears, the president offered a flippant
answer: "We just don't have enough government workers to send to talk to
everybody to find out how they want to die." But what if it did? What kind
of Big Brother government have we created that makes us feel so small?
Collecting information about how the elderly want to die is not the problem;
who manages that information is the crucial part.
The health care debate is valuable as part of the search for ways
to cover the uninsured, but it gives a lot of us the creepy feeling that
we're losing the argument with the politicians, who are more concerned with
creating a salable "product" than with thinking through the complexities.
Health care hasn't been in the hands of the kindly family doctor,
sitting by the side of a sick child in that famous Norman Rockwell cover for
the Saturday Evening Post, for a long, long time. The specialist and the
technician with their mighty machines have replaced the reassuring touch of
a healing human hand. The health care schemes, for all the good intentions
of the schemers, sound ever more like schemes for a big government casino.
That's not the place we want to be when our numbers come up.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
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Suzanne Fields Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate, Suzanne Fields
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